fraternize
Americanverb (used without object)
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fraternizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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fraternized,
past participle, past
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fraternizing
present participle
-
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)
-
fraternizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fraternized,
past participle, past
-
fraternizing
present participle
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
-
are fraternizingprogressive
-
is fraternizingprogressive
-
have been fraternizingperfect progressive
-
has been fraternizingperfect progressive
Past
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fraternizedsimple
-
had fraternizedperfect
-
was fraternizingprogressive
-
were fraternizingprogressive
-
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:
But his choice to enthusiastically fraternize with a self-described misogynist facing dozens of horrific felony counts has exposed him to scrutiny.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
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
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
Rivera revealed that she married fellow cast member Tony Mordente even though he played a Jet and, as Anita, she was forbidden as a Shark to fraternize with those actors from the rival gang.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2022
Because the all-day task of pushing buttons was boring, I was tempted to chitchat, but Miss Buckner’s warning not to fraternize with the patrons stayed fresh in my mind.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
A multimillionaire entrepreneur fraternizes with a fish-tailed woman during a video shoot for an indie band.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 19, 2017
Even Chateaubriand praises the Republic, calls himself a Republican from inclination, fraternizes with Marrast, and receives the accolade from Béranger.
From The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Volume 06 Masterpieces of German Literature Translated into English. in Twenty Volumes by Kuno Francke
"The Guard fraternizes with the people," replied Ledru Rollin.
From Edmond Dantès by Edmund Flagg
It is curious also to see how extremes meet; this theory of absoluteism "fraternizes" with that of socialism.
From Graham's Magazine Vol XXXIII No. 3 September 1848 by Various
You now only hear the words of peace and good-will; everybody fraternizes with everybody.
From Travels in Tartary, Thibet, and China During the years 1844-5-6 Volume 2 by Évariste Régis Huc
The Gelmans fraternized with Mexico’s bohemian avant-garde and hosted soirees at opulent residences in Mexico and New York.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
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
There were two Englishmen with whom we fraternized.
From Italian Letters of a Diplomat's Life January-May, 1880; February-April, 1904 by Mary Alsop King Waddington
Plebes, prohibited from fraternizing with girls, celebrated spring commencement by marching across the walkways and climbing Herndon.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
Conveniently, by making sure any against-the-spousal-grain decision is also a thoughtful one, you inoculate yourself against behavior that would be legitimately disloyal: fraternizing with an ex who did something inexcusable.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 30, 2022
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
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 had rather guessed the Laphams would side with the Tories, but this was fraternizing with the troops at a great rate.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
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