voluntary association

American  

noun

1. a group of individuals joined together on the basis of mutual interest or common objectives, especially a business group that is not organized or constituted as a legal entity.

---

Example Sentences

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent countries, most of which have historical ties to the United Kingdom and its former empire.

From Washington Times • Oct. 11, 2023

As secretary general of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 countries that evolved out of the British Empire, Patricia Scotland said the current global financial architecture was not fit for purpose.

From Reuters • Nov. 17, 2022

There were also some questions about whether the loss of the long-reigning monarch might affect the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 nations that, in many cases, have historic and linguistic ties to Britain.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 25, 2022

Many leaders from the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 countries, are expected to attend.

From New York Times • Sep. 12, 2022

The Union, Pitt said, was no proposal to subject Ireland to a foreign yoke, but a voluntary association of two great countries seeking their common benefit in one empire.

From Irish Nationality by Green, Alice Stopford