coterie
Americannoun
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a group of people who associate closely.
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an exclusive group; clique.
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a group of prairie dogs occupying a communal burrow.
noun
Synonym Usage
See circle.
Etymology
Origin of coterie
First recorded in 1730–40; from French, Middle French: “an association of tenant farmers,” from Medieval Latin coter(ius) cotter 2 + -ie -y 3
Explanation
Have you noticed how so many of the best TV shows concentrate on a group of friends who seem to mesh together perfectly, to the exclusion of all others? This, then, is a coterie, an exclusive group with common interests. The modern spelling and meaning of coterie developed in the 18th century from a French word rooted in the feudal system. When the farmers working the land of a feudal lord established an organization, they were called cotiers, or "tenants of a cote" (think "cottage"), and that idea of a select group led to the word coterie. There's just something so French about the idea of exclusivity, isn't there?
Vocabulary lists containing coterie
In Cold Blood
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The Fault in Our Stars
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Anna Karenina
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Berman and his wife, whose son was born in July, had transparency concerns and switched to Coterie Diapers, which he found presented its ingredients more clearly.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
The baby products marketer Coterie this year told followers it wouldn’t use any AI-generated images in its social-media marketing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
The garden, planted on property lent to the McComb Veazey Neighborhood Coterie by the local school district, sits on sloping land beside a wastewater treatment plant.
From New York Times • Apr. 15, 2022
The show’s decadent streak feels a little effortful, too—the Coterie runs out of toilet paper, but it has an awfully well-maintained rooftop pool.
From The New Yorker • Jan. 14, 2019
This select Coterie was organized for the purpose of closing all Cabarets by 6 A.M.
From Ade's Fables by McCutcheon, John T.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
