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confederate

[adjective, noun kuh n-fed-er-it, -fed-rit; verb kuh n-fed-uh-reyt]
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adjective
  1. united in a league, alliance, or conspiracy.
  2. (initial capital letter) of or relating to the Confederate States of America: the Confederate army.
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noun
  1. a person, group, nation, etc., united with others in a confederacy; an ally.
  2. an accomplice, especially in a mischievous or criminal act.
  3. (initial capital letter) U.S. History. a supporter of the Confederate States of America.
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verb (used with or without object), con·fed·er·at·ed, con·fed·er·at·ing.
  1. to unite in a league, alliance, or conspiracy.
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Origin of confederate

1350–1400; Middle English confederat < Late Latin confoederātus (past participle of confoederāre to unite in a league), equivalent to con- con- + foeder- (stem of foedus) treaty (see fidelity) + -ātus -ate1
Related formshalf-Con·fed·er·ate, adjectivenon·con·fed·er·ate, adjective, nounpro-Con·fed·er·ate, adjectiveun·con·fed·er·at·ed, adjective

Synonyms

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3. associate, partner, cohort.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for confederate

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • I shall take other measures; for I see you are a confederate with them.

  • No, he's Federal, Confederate or guerilla as it may suit his bloody ends.

    The Cavalier

    George Washington Cable

  • We never charge a Confederate soldier for anything; that's not our way.

    The Cavalier

    George Washington Cable

  • At any rate I was convinced she was a good Confederate, and my heart rose.

    The Cavalier

    George Washington Cable

  • They spotted him and a confederate slipped a hypo into his arm.

    Poisoned Air

    Sterner St. Paul Meek

British Dictionary definitions for confederate

confederate

noun (kənˈfɛdərɪt, -ˈfɛdrɪt)
  1. a nation, state, or individual that is part of a confederacy
  2. someone who is part of a conspiracy; accomplice
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adjective (kənˈfɛdərɪt, -ˈfɛdrɪt)
  1. united in a confederacy; allied
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verb (kənˈfɛdəˌreɪt)
  1. to form into or become part of a confederacy
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Word Origin

C14: from Late Latin confoederātus, from confoederāre to unite by a league, from Latin com- together + foedus treaty

Confederate

adjective
  1. of, supporting, or relating to the Confederate States of America
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noun
  1. a supporter of the Confederate States of America
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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

Word Origin and History for confederate

v.

late 14c., from Late Latin confoederatus "leagued together," past participle of confoederare "to unite by a league," from com- "with, together" (see com-) + foederare, from foedus (genitive foederis) "a league" (see federal). Also used as a past participle adjective from late 14c., as a simple adjective from 1550s; meaning "of or belonging to the Confederate States of America" is from 1861. Used as a noun from late 15c. (Late Latin confoederatus also was used as a noun in its day).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
confederate in Culture

Confederate

A descriptive term for the institutions and people of the Confederacy.

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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.