adjective
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joined, as by treaty, agreement, or marriage; united
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of the same type or class; related
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of allied
A Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at ally, -ed 2
Explanation
Allied means united or joined together. If two countries are allied, they are on the same side and have common interests. When two people are allied, they are friendly — or at least cooperative. To be allied means to have an agreement to work together, so when politicians are allied on a bill, they've pledged to join forces and unite for a common cause. In a war, allied countries are fighting on the same side. Allied comes from ally, which first meant "join in marriage," from the Latin root alligare, "bind to."
Vocabulary lists containing allied
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.
Taiwan’s importance to U.S. and allied economic strength may be without historical precedent: a relatively small island that anchors the world’s most important technology stack.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
An interceptor system’s highly detailed missile-tracking data, for instance, can be hard to share in real-time with other military systems, including the defenses of allied nations.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
The firm projects the addressable market in U.S. and allied governments to grow to $666 billion by 2029, up from $490 billion in 2025.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
It says it is supplying flying robots to more than a thousand public safety agencies in the country, every branch of the U.S. military and 29 allied nations.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
The bond between Ernest Lawrence and Robert Oppenheimer would influence the development of nuclear physics itself, allied strategy in World War II, and civilian and military nuclear policy through the postwar years.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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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.