federation

American  

[fed-uh-rey-shuhn] / ˌfɛd əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of federating or uniting in a league.

2. the formation of a political unity, with a central government, by a number of separate states, each of which retains control of its own internal affairs.

3. a league or confederacy.

4. a federated body formed by a number of nations, states, societies, unions, etc., each retaining control of its own internal affairs.

---

federation ¹ British  

/ ˌfɛdəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of federating

2. the union of several provinces, states, etc, to form a federal union

3. a political unit formed in such a way

4. any league, alliance, or confederacy

5. a union of several parties, groups, etc

6. any association or union for common action

---

Federation ² British  

/ ˌfɛdəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the federation of the Australian colonies in 1901

2. a style of domestic architecture of that period, characterized by red brick, terracotta roof tiles, sinuous curves, and heavy window frames

---

Other Word Forms

• interfederation noun
• profederation adjective
• refederation noun

Etymology

Origin of federation

1715–25; < Late Latin foederātiōn- (stem of foederātiō ) a leaguing. See federate, -ion

Explanation

A federation is an organization made up of smaller groups, parties, or states. The United States is a federation; the states all fall under the same federal government. The word federation may be most familiar as part of the name of an organization — for example, the International Tennis Federation, the American Advertising Federation, or the National Wild Turkey Federation. If you follow World Cup soccer, you may be interested to learn that the acronym FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Although the groups within a federation are united around a common goal or ideology, they usually like to keep some control at the local level as well.

Example Sentences

The federation said its sector is exposed to supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and rising energy costs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

And the Iranian football federation said earlier this month it was "negotiating" with Fifa to relocate the country's World Cup matches from the US to Mexico.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Morocco’s federation, which had formally protested the result, said that it “never intended to challenge the sporting performance of the teams,” but didn’t deny that it was hoping for this very outcome.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Complaints followed from Senegal's football federation that their original hotel wasn't good enough - and that they didn't have enough tickets for their fans.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

The federation eliminated the Candidates tournament, an event that had multiple players competing against one another, which Fischer charged led to the opportunity for collusion among the Soviets.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• association
• league
• union