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  • freemasonry
    freemasonry
    noun
    secret or tacit brotherhood; fellowship; fundamental bond or rapport.
  • Freemasonry
    Freemasonry
    noun
    the institutions, rites, practices, etc, of Freemasons
Synonyms

freemasonry

American  
[free-mey-suhn-ree] / ˈfriˌmeɪ sən ri /

noun

  • freemasonries
    plural
  1. secret or tacit brotherhood; fellowship; fundamental bond or rapport.

    the freemasonry of those who hunger for knowledge.

  2. (initial capital letter) the principles, practices, and institutions of Freemasons.


Freemasonry 1 British  
/ ˈfriːˌmeɪsənrɪ /

noun

  1. the institutions, rites, practices, etc, of Freemasons

  2. Freemasons collectively

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

freemasonry 2 British  
/ ˈfriːˌmeɪsənrɪ /

noun

  1. natural or tacit sympathy and understanding

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of freemasonry

First recorded in 1400–50, freemasonry is from the late Middle English word fremasonry. See Freemason, -ry

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:

Temptingly, he explained that “the theater, behind the scenes, has an emotional freemasonry of its own, certainly franker and arguably wholesomer than the stiffness of suburban society outside.”

From New York Times Apr. 27, 2023

A retired prosecutor who chased him for years blames unspecified freemasonry circles.

From Reuters Jan. 18, 2023

Now research from the University of Edinburgh has revealed the origins of the Hogmanay tradition are connected to freemasonry.

From BBC Dec. 31, 2021

“One of the attractions of Prince Hall freemasonry to African-Americans is that it is an organisation started by African-Americans in the 18th century for African-Americans,” says Martin Cherry.

From The Guardian Jul. 2, 2014

He was denounced in the lodge rooms of Filipino freemasonry, from one of which was despatched a letter directed to him and bearing his picture, as will be seen in the accompanying illustration.

From The Katipunan or The Rise and Fall of the Filipino Commune by Francis St. Clair

Freemasonry is a centuries-old fraternal organisation with about six million members worldwide, including more than 200,000 in England and Wales.

From BBC Sep. 29, 2025

He became the Babcock family’s coachman and quickly gained respect in the Greater San Diego area, founding a Prince Hall Freemasonry lodge in San Diego for Black middle-class men to congregate and discuss civil rights.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 5, 2024

They were social clubs with similarities to Freemasonry.

From Seattle Times Jan. 30, 2024

According to the United Grand Lodge of England, modern Freemasonry "is one of the oldest social and charitable organisations in the world", rooted in the traditions of medieval stonemasons.

From Reuters Nov. 16, 2023

At the oral argument months earlier, I'd been hopeful as I walked into the imposing Alabama Judicial Building and stood in the grand appellate courtroom that was formerly a Scottish Rite Freemasonry temple.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Besides, the gun, fishing-rod, boat, and horse constitute, among all who use them, secret freemasonries.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 06, No. 35, September, 1860 by Various

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