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.

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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

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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

“There’s so much to do. Everyone separated. It’s beneficial to have a group text, a fellowship like this, where you can hear someone going through the same thing as you,” Singleton says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

The Wham! and solo pop star, who died in 2016 aged 53, joined a host of famous fellowship inductees including Bruce Springsteen and also U2, from last year's ceremony.

From BBC ● May 21, 2026

Jaclyn is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and a recipient of Fulbright's Young Professional Journalist fellowship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

There, the MTS role functioned more like a scientific fellowship than a corporate position.

From MarketWatch ● May 9, 2026

After Sunday school, all the grownups and kids gathered in the fellowship hall.

From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor

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

From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026

The Carnegie Foundation offered prestigious fellowships, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences convened a blue-ribbon commission.

From Slate ● May 1, 2026

The company is opening a new office in Washington to have policy conversations and funding fellowships and research grants on the topics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026

The Pentagon is to cut all academic ties with Harvard University, ending military education, fellowships and certificate programs, it said in a statement on Friday.

From Barron's ● Feb. 7, 2026

The fellowships had been established by the National Research Council to support candidates from among the top 5 percent of PhDs in the country, making it an invaluable guide to a prospective candidate’s scientific ability.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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