fraternize
Americanverb (used without object)
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to associate socially or romantically with people considered inappropriate company, often due to a difference in status, as between managers and subordinates, or professors and students.
Doctors fraternizing with interns is nothing new, but hospital management is considering stricter policies to discourage it.
-
to associate cordially or intimately with the people of a conquered country, enemy troops, etc., especially in violation of orders or rules.
Of the charges these officers are facing, the most serious is fraternizing with the enemy.
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to associate in a fraternal or friendly way.
verb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fraternizesimple
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fraternizessimple
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have fraternizedperfect
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has fraternizedperfect
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am fraternizingprogressive
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are fraternizingprogressive
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is fraternizingprogressive
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have been fraternizingperfect progressive
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has been fraternizingperfect progressive
Past
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fraternizedsimple
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had fraternizedperfect
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was fraternizingprogressive
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were fraternizingprogressive
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had been fraternizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fraternize
First recorded in 1605–15; from French fraterniser, from Medieval Latin frāternizāre; see fraternal, -ize
Explanation
Guys, you may not realize it, but when you hang out with your buds, you fraternize; that is, you associate in a friendly fashion with other men as though they were your brothers. As your wives or girlfriends would be quick to tell you, there's an undercurrent of misbehavior to the term fraternize. At its most harmless, it means a kind of wild frat house behavior (frat or fraternity also coming from the Latin term fraternus, meaning "brotherly."). At its worst, there's an implication of illegality or skullduggery, as in the common phrase "fraternizing with the enemy." So party on, but don't be a traitor.
Vocabulary lists containing fraternize
The Handmaid's Tale
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And Then There Were None
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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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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.
See Examples For:
Behind the scenes, Chung, who often goes by “E.S.” in the West, also is known to fraternize comfortably with Hyundai staff, the company’s auto dealers and others.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2025
Delson makes an effort to create a safe space that encourages participants to ask questions, fraternize with others and leave their stress at home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2025
Superheroes-in-training are enrolled at Godolkin University School of Crimefighting, where they fraternize in between high-stakes competitions of strength and ability.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 14, 2023
Though at one time it would have been unheard of to stoop below her blue-blooded heritage and fraternize with showbiz professionals, Lady Mary knows that Downton is an expensive estate to run.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2022
“Why don’t you get back in your truck? We’re not supposed to fraternize with other faction members.”
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
A multimillionaire entrepreneur fraternizes with a fish-tailed woman during a video shoot for an indie band.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 19, 2017
"Yes, when the house where he fraternizes is suspected."
From The Three Musketeers by Dumas père, Alexandre
The combination fraternizes, ties the races—is, in many particulars, under laws applicable indifferently to all, irrespective of climate or date, and, from whatever source, appeals to emotions, pride, love, spirituality, common to human kind.
From Complete Prose Works Specimen Days and Collect, November Boughs and Goodbye My Fancy by Whitman, Walt
See, even Duke fraternizes with the charming beasts!
From The Voyages and Adventures of Captain Hatteras by Riou, Edouard
The sulphur, being more than is wanted in the economy of the system, has made its escape through every pore in his skin, and, of course, fraternizes with the silver on its way.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 04, No. 21, July, 1859 by Various
Commerce always fraternized with art and journalism in the magazine business, and Miranda needs to hear that this balance will stay if the magazine changes hands.
From Salon ● May 6, 2026
The former detective was fired in 2017 after an allegation was received that he had improperly paid a witness and had fraternized with people connected to criminal conduct.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 19, 2019
Xaysana’s case drew great attention when he was arrested last year because of unproven suspicions that some Thai celebrities with whom he fraternized were implicated in his activities.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 26, 2018
The U.S. and Russia have cooperated and fraternized marvellously in space even as their leaders were antagonizing each other.
From New York Times ● Dec. 12, 2017
There were two Englishmen with whom we fraternized.
From Italian Letters of a Diplomat's Life January-May, 1880; February-April, 1904 by Waddington, Mary Alsop King
Most companies discourage executives from fraternizing with staff too intimately because of the messy conflicts it can create.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2022
That’s where Frank Sinatra lost his gaming license for allegedly fraternizing with organized crime bosses at his Cal-Neva hotel-casino in the 1960s.
From Seattle Times ● May 12, 2022
Older generations of players would likely cringe at that — the Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson famously hated fraternizing with rivals.
From New York Times ● Oct. 7, 2021
He doesn’t do much fraternizing with other superstars.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 4, 2020
“Because someone’ll hear you been fraternizing with roustabouts and chuck you—or more likely these guys—off this thing,” he says.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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.
