fellowship

American  

[fel-oh-ship] / ˈfɛl oʊˌʃɪp /

noun

• fellowships
  plural

1. the condition or relation of being a companion or peer.

   We all belong to the fellowship of humankind.

2. friendly relationship; companionship.

   the fellowship of father and son.

   Synonyms:

   intimacy, society, friendship, camaraderie, comradeship

3. community of interest, feeling, etc.

4. communion, as between members of the same church.

5. friendliness.

6. an association of persons having similar tastes, interests, etc.

7. a company, guild, or corporation.

8. Education.

   1. the body of fellows in a college or university.

   2. the position or emoluments of a fellow of a college or university, or the sum of money they receive.

   3. a foundation for the maintenance of a fellow in a college or university.

---

verb (used with object)

fellowshipped, fellowshiped, fellowshipping, fellowshiping

1. to admit (someone) to fellowship, especially religious communion or community.

   Rather than rejecting the stranger in your midst, welcome her and fellowship her.

verb (used without object)

fellowshipped, fellowshiped, fellowshipping, fellowshiping

1. to join in fellowship, especially religious communion or community.

fellowship British  

/ ˈfɛləʊˌʃɪp /

noun

1. the state of sharing mutual interests, experiences, activities, etc

2. a society of people sharing mutual interests, experiences, activities, etc; club

3. companionship; friendship

4. the state or relationship of being a fellow

5. 1. mutual trust and charitableness between Christians

   2. a Church or religious association

6. education

   1. a financed research post providing study facilities, privileges, etc, often in return for teaching services

   2. a foundation endowed to support a postgraduate research student

   3. an honorary title carrying certain privileges awarded to a postgraduate student

7. (often capital) the body of fellows in a college, university, etc

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fellowships
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fellowship

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English felauship(e); see origin at fellow, -ship

Explanation

A grant given by a university or foundation to a scholar for research or study is a fellowship. If you get a fellowship to do research on insects, it might bug your colleagues who didn't get one. Use fellowship to refer to someone's company or companionship. Your grandmother might prefer the fellowship of people her own age, since they remember the same historic events as she does and know the same songs. A fellowship is also a community of people who share common beliefs or interests. A fellowship of knitters might meet weekly at a cafe in your town to exchange ideas and knit together.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fellowship fellowships fellowshiping fellowshipped fellowshipping

He is comfortably smarmy in the role of an overconfident undergrad at Vassar College who reassures everyone that he is certain to win an important fellowship for the summer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

He started out writing innovative novels with such intellectual and stylistic punch that the MacArthur Foundation gave him a fellowship in 2002.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Starting in July, he’s headed to Portugal for a six-month art fellowship, but says he plans to continue the photo project later.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

After earning her doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles, Ms. Saxbe crossed town to USC for a fellowship, later joining the faculty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

He was a photographer on a fellowship and the first time Ifemelu saw his photographs, in black-and-white, in dances of shadow, their delicacy and vulnerability had surprised her.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Corporate PhD fellowships from leading technology companies are valuable, but they are filters, not pipelines.

From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026

Chorpita said the grant will be split into three parts: the psychology department, which will oversee the new minor; the school of social welfare; and child-focused fellowships in the psychiatry and behavioral sciences department.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026

She was named a fellow by the Columbia University School of Journalism and the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, with additional fellowships from the National Press Foundation and the Lilly Endowment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

Perhaps more than anything else, this is what Hegseth sees, and fears, in the officers who have earned degrees or fellowships at places like Harvard.

From Slate ● Feb. 9, 2026

It was a condition of nearly all Oxford and Cambridge fellowships that the holder was ordained, so nearly every academic in England was a clergyman.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

What is to hinder any Christian member of Calvary Church from working and fellowshiping with those churches, if he cannot put in his service in the tenement district?

From The Crucifixion of Philip Strong by Sheldon, Charles Monroe

Throughout the process, they "fellowshipped, sang hymns, and prayed until most of them were released," it added.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

Now, he needs to summon his party back to its better angels, as he displayed recently when he graciously fellowshipped with a group of Virginia Muslim leaders in Henrico.

From Washington Post ● May 6, 2022

At the Whigs' Kit-Cat Club, Addison and Congreve fellowshipped with statesmen and lords; at the Tories' Scriblerus, Swift and his friends forgathered.

From Time Magazine Archive

Thomas Aquinas teaches that "he was immortal by grace though not by nature, had universal knowledge, fellowshipped with angels, and saw God."

From The Destiny of the Soul A Critical History of the Doctrine of a Future Life by Alger, William Rounseville

As a simple laborer he had fellowshipped with them but they acknowledged and availed themselves of his leadership, because they felt instinctively in him a power which they did not have.

From The Strength of Gideon and Other Stories by Dunbar, Paul Laurence

“It’s about socializing, and fellowshipping and finding places for common ground,” said Kamlager-Dove, who served in the state Legislature with Obernolte.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2024

Some are even establishing brick-and-mortar locations where tastings, events, and fellowshipping around alcohol-free living can flourish.

From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2023

These joys exist by way of family gatherings, community affairs like block parties, and other forms of fellowshipping, with one thing tying all of these types of events together –– dancing.

From Salon ● Apr. 1, 2021

“People really enjoyed seeing each other from their little bubbles, fellowshipping a bit,” said Hanson, 60, a third-generation Midwestern pastor who’s led this congregation for 28 years.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 7, 2020

There’s no communion, no theatrics, just fellowshipping that connects them to the biblically tinged, living-as-God-intended ethos which fed early strains of nudism.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 25, 2019