coalition

[ koh-uh-lish-uhn ]

/ ˌkoʊ əˈlɪʃ ən /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR coalition ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a combination or alliance, especially a temporary one between persons, factions, states, etc.

a union into one body or mass; fusion.

Words nearby coalition

coalface, coalfield, coalfish, coalification, coaling station, coalition, coalitionism, coalport, coalsack, coaly, coaming

Origin of coalition

1605–15; < Latin coalitiōn- (stem of coalitiō), equivalent to coalit(us), past participle of coalēscere (co- co- + ali-, past participle stem of alere to nourish + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion; see coalesce

SYNONYMS FOR coalition

1 partnership; league.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR coalition ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM coalition

co·a·li·tion·al, adjectiveco·a·li·tion·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for coalition

But taking such action puts them at odds with the most powerful and best-organized segment of their coalition.
How Public Sector Unions Divide the Democrats|Daniel DiSalvo|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
U.S.-led coalition airstrikes recently have been increased on Raqqa.
Did ISIS Shoot Down a Fighter Jet?|Jamie Dettmer, Christopher Dickey|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On one night earlier this month, the coalition launched 30 strikes on the town.
Did ISIS Shoot Down a Fighter Jet?|Jamie Dettmer, Christopher Dickey|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Faced with the loss of middle class voters, the administration seems determined to double down on its current coalition.
Time to Bring Back the Truman Democrats|Joel Kotkin|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

At the time, the Special Forces were pushing into Afghan villages previously unoccupied by coalition forces.
Special Forces’ $77M ‘Hustler’ Hits Back|Kevin Maurer|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Thus it was that he tried to rule with a coalition, or a mixture of Whigs and Tories.
With Marlborough to Malplaquet|Herbert Strang and Richard Stead
The men do not need to ask who is the district leader; he finds them through his unpaid workers and the coalition is accomplished.
The Leaven in a Great City|Lillian William Betts
Defiance was thus cast by forty-five thousand men to one hundred ten thousand soldiers of the coalition.
The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 14|Various
Many of them are outrageous with Fox upon the idea of his coalition.
Memoirs of the Courts and Cabinets of George the Third|The Duke of Buckingham and Chandos
The Coalition was so far victorious;—but there arose a general feeling that its strength had been impaired.
The Prime Minister|Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for coalition

coalition

/ (ˌkəʊəˈlɪʃən) /

noun

an alliance or union between groups, factions, or parties, esp for some temporary and specific reason
(as modifier)a coalition government

a fusion or merging into one body or mass

Derived forms of coalition

coalitional, adjectivecoalitionist or coalitioner, noun

Word Origin for coalition

C17: from Medieval Latin coalitiō, from Latin coalēscere to coalesce

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for coalition

coalition

An alliance of political groups formed to oppose a common foe or pursue a common goal.

notes for coalition

In countries with many political parties, none of which can get a majority of the citizens' votes, the only way an effective government can be formed is by a coalition of parties. Such coalitions are often unstable.