fraternity

American  

[fruh-tur-ni-tee] / frəˈtɜr nɪ ti /

noun

plural

fraternities

1. a local or national organization of male students, primarily for social purposes, usually with secret initiation and rites and a name composed of two or three Greek letters.

2. a group of persons associated by or as if by ties of brotherhood.

3. any group or class of persons having common purposes, interests, etc..

   the medical fraternity.

4. an organization of laymen for religious or charitable purposes; sodality.

5. the quality of being brotherly; brotherhood.

   liberty, equality, and fraternity.

6. the relation of a brother or between brothers.

---

fraternity British  

/ frəˈtɜːnɪtɪ /

noun

1. Gender-neutral form: community.  a body of people united in interests, aims, etc

   the teaching fraternity

2. brotherhood

3. a secret society joined by male students, usually functioning as a social club

---

Other Word Forms

• interfraternity adjective
• nonfraternity noun

Etymology

Origin of fraternity

1300–50; Middle English fraternite < Latin frāternitās. See fraternal, -ity

Example Sentences

Does he socialise much with the mysterious moss fraternity?

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026

The fraternity attracts the children of the very wealthy, including Evan Whitesell, the stepson of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

In one case, Polymarket gave a fraternity thousands of dollars in cash in exchange for signing up new users to its platform.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

One fraternity brother said in an interview his winnings would help pay for spring break.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

In Oregon, university fraternity brothers gathered around a radio, "spellbound” and "scared to death.”

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow

Related Words

• camaraderie
• guild
• sorority