federate

American  

[fed-uh-reyt, fed-er-it] / ˈfɛd əˌreɪt, ˈfɛd ər ɪt /

verb (used with or without object)

federated, federating

1. to unite in a federation.

2. to organize on a federal basis.

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adjective

1. federated; allied.

federate British  

verb

1. to unite or cause to unite in a federal union

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adjective

1. federal; federated

Other Word Forms

• federative adjective
• federator noun
• nonfederated adjective
• refederate verb
• unfederated adjective

Etymology

Origin of federate

1665–75; < Latin foederātus leagued together, allied, equivalent to foeder- (nominative stem foedus ) league + -ātus -ate ¹

Example Sentences

California’s elderly parole program originates from a federate court ruling aimed at reducing overcrowding in jails and is based in part on studies that show that the risk of recidivism decreases with age.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026

The technical term for making social networks interoperable this way is “federation,” and it turns out there are multiple ways sites can federate.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 6, 2024

It aims to federate the next generation of hackers for the New York innovation community.

From Forbes • Feb. 15, 2013

The new tendency of U.S. public colleges to federate is most sharply evident in California, whose 15 state colleges, with 96,000 students, now comprise "the world's largest college system."

From Time Magazine Archive

During the past ten years the literary club movement has done an immense amount of educational work, and Maine was the first State to federate.

From The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV by Harper, Ida Husted