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• ally
  ally

  verb (used with object)

  to unite formally, as by treaty, league, marriage, or the like (usually followed by with orto ).
• -ally
  -ally

  an adverbial suffix attached to certain adjectives with stems in -ic that have no forms ending in -ical: terrifically.

SEE ALSO:

Gender & Sexuality dictionary results for ally.

Trivia Time

Which country did Germany attempt to ally with against the United States during World War I?

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ally

¹ American  

[uh-lahy, al-ahy, uh-lahy] / əˈlaɪ, ˈæl aɪ, əˈlaɪ /

verb (used with object)

• allies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• allied,
  past participle,  past
• allying
  present participle

1. to unite formally, as by treaty, league, marriage, or the like (usually followed by with orto ).

   Russia allied itself to France.

   Synonyms:

   wed, combine, join, unify

2. to associate or connect by some mutual relationship, as resemblance or friendship.

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verb (used without object)

• allies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• allied,
  past participle,  past
• allying
  present participle

1. to enter into an alliance; join; unite.

noun

• allies
  plural

1. a person, group, or nation that is associated with another or others for some common cause or purpose.

   Canada and the United States were allies in World War II.

   Synonyms:

   confederate, partner

   Antonyms:

   adversary, foe, enemy

2. Biology. a plant, animal, or other organism bearing an evolutionary relationship to another, often as a member of the same family.

   The squash is an ally of the watermelon.

3. a person who associates or cooperates with another; supporter.

   Synonyms:

   helper, assistant, auxiliary, coadjutor, colleague, abettor, accessory, accomplice, aide, friend

   Antonyms:

   adversary, foe, enemy

4. a person who advocates for or supports a marginalized or politicized group but is not a member of the group: As a man, how can I be a good ally to women in the struggle for gender equality?

   Straight allies speak up for the LGBTQ community.

   As a man, how can I be a good ally to women in the struggle for gender equality?

-ally ² American  

1. an adverbial suffix attached to certain adjectives with stems in -ic that have no forms ending in -ical: terrifically.

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ally British  

verb

1. to unite or be united, esp formally, as by treaty, confederation, or marriage

2. (tr; usually passive) to connect or be related, as through being similar or compatible

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noun

1. a country, person, or group allied with another

2. a plant, animal, substance, etc, closely related to another in characteristics or form

Usage

What else does ally mean? An ally is someone that aligns with and supports a cause with another individual or group of people. A straight ally, more specifically, is an individual outside of the LGBTQ community that supports their fight for equality and rights.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preally
  noun
• preally
  verb
• alliable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• allies
  plural

Participles

• allying
  present
• allied
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• ally
  simple
• allies
  simple
• have allied
  perfect
• has allied
  perfect
• am allying
  progressive
• are allying
  progressive
• is allying
  progressive
• have been allying
  perfect progressive
• has been allying
  perfect progressive

Past

• allied
  simple
• had allied
  perfect
• was allying
  progressive
• were allying
  progressive
• had been allying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will ally
  simple
• will have allied
  perfect
• will be allying
  progressive
• will have been allying
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of ally¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English alien, from Anglo-French alal(l)ierier, aillaier, Old French alier, from Latin alligāre “to bind to”; see alloy

Origin of -ally²

-al ¹ + -ly

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Explanation

If you have an ally, you have someone who is on your side, like a more experienced teammate who is your ally in convincing the coach to give you more playing time. Ally comes from the Latin word alligare, meaning "to bind to," like nations who are allies in wartime — they will act together, and protect one another. You can also use ally as a verb, meaning "join forces with." For example, you might ally yourself with influential people to advance your career. As a noun, pronounce ally like this: "AL-eye." As a verb, it's "uh-LIE."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ally allies allied allying

James Acaster, her reluctant fellow traitor, was also happy with their choice of ally.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

The row has now spilled over into Turkey, Baku's closest ally, which provided vital support during Azerbaijan's 2020 war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

She endorsed Bass, an ally, for reelection and then abruptly and surprisingly announced that she was running against her.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

"We will, in short, ensure any attack against any ally proves utterly futile."

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

Up until that moment, Maximilian’s mother had viewed the night nurse as a great friend and ally.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

He called on allies to pressure Moscow to "stop this."

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Up to 1.2 million Vietnamese soldiers are estimated to have been killed between 1945 and 1975, during wars involving former colonial power France, and then the United States as well as its allies.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Raman and Bass were once political allies, campaigning together in 2024 as Raman faced a tough reelection fight in a district stretching from Silver Lake to the San Fernando Valley.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

The case is highly sensitive in Germany, seen as one of Ukraine's closest allies since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, seven months before the attacks took place.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Black Swan Green's hardest third year looked round for allies in his hour of need.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

The message from 1809 -- detailing French and allied troops' positions in two dozen lines of symbols, numbers and letters -- had lain ignored in an online academic archive.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

“It’s important to say that these are collaborations. In and of myself, I’m probably going to fail, but allied with talented people I have a better chance,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Under its strategy, an extensive “autonomous zone” would be established so that drones and ground robots could blunt a Russian attack without extensive allied casualties.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Fortunately, Brown and Obama were allied leaders and not deep rivals looking to resolve seemingly intractable differences.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

Ares had allied themselves with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus.

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

The Indian National Congress leader Subhas Chandra Bose was convinced that allying with Japan offered India its best chance at ending British rule.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Daglo worked for years for Bashir before allying with Burhan to overthrow him in 2019 as part of Sudan's revolution.

From Barron's ● Nov. 24, 2025

Such was Francis’ astonishing international popularity that many politicians of all stripes tried to trade on it, allying themselves with his causes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2025

Additionally, Brics enables India to advance its core foreign policy principle of strategic autonomy, whereby it aims to balance relations with a wide spectrum of geopolitical players, without formally allying with any of them.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2024

For the other nations in the confederacy, the benefits of allying with either side were not clear-cut.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

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Related Words

• associate
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