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• alliance
  alliance

  noun

  the act of allying or state of being allied.
• Alliance
  Alliance

  noun

  a city in NE Ohio.

alliance

¹ American  

[uh-lahy-uhns] / əˈlaɪ əns /

noun

• alliances
  plural

1. 

   the act of allying or state of being allied.

   Synonyms:

   affiliation, partnership, bloc, combination, coalition, association

2. a formal agreement or treaty between two or more nations to cooperate for specific purposes.

   Synonyms:

   compact, pact

3. a merging of efforts or interests by persons, families, states, or organizations.

   an alliance between church and state.

4. the persons or entities so allied.

5. marriage or the relationship created by marriage between the families of the spouses.

6. correspondence in basic characteristics; affinity.

   the alliance between logic and metaphysics.

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Alliance ² American  

[uh-lahy-uhns] / əˈlaɪ əns /

noun

1. a city in NE Ohio.

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alliance ¹ British  

/ əˈlaɪəns /

noun

1. the act of allying or state of being allied; union; confederation

2. a formal agreement or pact, esp a military one, between two or more countries to achieve a particular aim

3. the countries involved in such an agreement

4. a union between families through marriage

5. affinity or correspondence in qualities or characteristics

6. botany a taxonomic category consisting of a group of related families; subclass

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Alliance ² British  

/ əˈlaɪəns /

noun

1. 1. the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Party acting or regarded as a political entity from 1981 to 1988

   2. ( as modifier )

      an Alliance candidate

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Usage

What is an alliance? An alliance is the act or state of being in a mutually beneficial relationship to work toward a common goal, as in The United States’ longest alliance is with France. Often, alliance refers to a formal agreement between nations that promise to assist each other in war, as in Germany, Italy, and Japan agreed on an alliance during World War II. Alliance can also be used more generally to refer to the people or groups that come together in a common cause, as in The invading orcs were defeated by an alliance of men, elves, and dwarves. Alliance is similar to words such as confederation, union, and league, which also refer to beneficial partnerships. Alliance is used more generally than these words, however. Example: The kids at my school formed an alliance to stop the bully from harassing us. 

Synonym Usage

Alliance, confederation, league, union all mean the joining of states for mutual benefit or to permit the joint exercise of functions. An alliance may apply to any connection entered into for mutual benefit. League usually suggests closer combination or a more definite object or purpose. Confederation applies to a permanent combination for the exercise in common of certain governmental functions. Union implies an alliance so close and permanent that the separate states or parties become essentially one.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interalliance
  noun
• nonalliance
  noun
• prealliance
  noun
• realliance
  noun
• suballiance
  noun
• proalliance
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• alliances
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of alliance

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English aliance, from Old French; equivalent to ally + -ance

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Explanation

Countries that have an alliance, or agreement, help each other out when in need. That means during times of war, for example, if two countries have an alliance, one will help the other by providing weapons and supplies. An alliance doesn't just have to be between two countries; you can see alliances formed on a playground, when kids start clustering in groups or dividing themselves into teams to play tag. An alliance is essentially a connection through which a common interest is shared. A marriage is an alliance between two people who decide to share their lives together.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alliance Alliance alliances

This allows any member of the military alliance to request consultations with its allies if it believes its territorial integrity or security is threatened.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Veterinary pathologists at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance performed the necropsy, Fish and Wildlife said in a joint statement with the wildlife alliance and the raptor center.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

Grynkewich elaborated what he called his "theory of victory" to defeat an armed attack on the alliance as worries surge over what Western officials call a "hybrid" campaign of sabotage and interference by Moscow.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

That Grynkewich’s reassurance was needed at all in Europe also marks a turnabout for an alliance that once believed it had won the Cold War and harvested a peace dividend.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

I gather that Nick gets Gary and Tiny to sort of make up, and the alliance agrees to seek money for both Tiny Dancer and a series of flyers aimed at education.

From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan

Veterinary pathologists at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance performed the necropsy, Fish and Wildlife said in a joint statement with the wildlife alliance and the raptor center.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

Lidegaard and his Nordic counterparts just announced a Nordic Growth Alliance to promote cooperation in sectors such as quantum technology, data centers and space, while reducing red tape.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

A lawyer for the Alternative A5 Alliance, an umbrella body of landowners, farmers and supporters who oppose the road upgrade, said his clients would "carefully consider today's judgement".

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

The current governing coalition is made up of United List, New Unity, the Union of Greens and Farmers and the National Alliance.

From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026

A surge of students comes out; the first to exit is Zora, followed closely by the rest of Black Alliance.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

After World War II, the U.S. increasingly relied on military alliances, overseas bases, trade and international institutions to project power.

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2026

We often shorthand alliances as friendships, but they’re usually built less on comity and more on mutual necessity.

From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026

In addition to the alliances above, Joe Lycett was on the TV show Last One Laughing with Rob Beckett.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

The geopolitics of the Horn of Africa are fiendishly complex, with shifting alliances and the involvement of many outside actors with conflicting interests.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

I can see alliances forming, lines in the sand being drawn—all within seconds, and all because I announced that I have a limited supply of something that all of them desperately need.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

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