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• alliance
  alliance

  noun

  the act of allying or state of being allied.
• Alliance
  Alliance

  noun

  a city in NE Ohio.

alliance

¹ American  

[uh-lahy-uhns] / əˈlaɪ əns /

noun

• alliances
  plural

1. 

   the act of allying or state of being allied.

   Synonyms:

   affiliation, partnership, bloc, combination, coalition, association

2. a formal agreement or treaty between two or more nations to cooperate for specific purposes.

   Synonyms:

   compact, pact

3. a merging of efforts or interests by persons, families, states, or organizations.

   an alliance between church and state.

4. the persons or entities so allied.

5. marriage or the relationship created by marriage between the families of the spouses.

6. correspondence in basic characteristics; affinity.

   the alliance between logic and metaphysics.

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Alliance ² American  

[uh-lahy-uhns] / əˈlaɪ əns /

noun

1. a city in NE Ohio.

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alliance ¹ British  

/ əˈlaɪəns /

noun

1. the act of allying or state of being allied; union; confederation

2. a formal agreement or pact, esp a military one, between two or more countries to achieve a particular aim

3. the countries involved in such an agreement

4. a union between families through marriage

5. affinity or correspondence in qualities or characteristics

6. botany a taxonomic category consisting of a group of related families; subclass

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Alliance ² British  

/ əˈlaɪəns /

noun

1. 1. the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Party acting or regarded as a political entity from 1981 to 1988

   2. ( as modifier )

      an Alliance candidate

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Usage

What is an alliance? An alliance is the act or state of being in a mutually beneficial relationship to work toward a common goal, as in The United States’ longest alliance is with France. Often, alliance refers to a formal agreement between nations that promise to assist each other in war, as in Germany, Italy, and Japan agreed on an alliance during World War II. Alliance can also be used more generally to refer to the people or groups that come together in a common cause, as in The invading orcs were defeated by an alliance of men, elves, and dwarves. Alliance is similar to words such as confederation, union, and league, which also refer to beneficial partnerships. Alliance is used more generally than these words, however. Example: The kids at my school formed an alliance to stop the bully from harassing us. 

Synonym Usage

Alliance, confederation, league, union all mean the joining of states for mutual benefit or to permit the joint exercise of functions. An alliance may apply to any connection entered into for mutual benefit. League usually suggests closer combination or a more definite object or purpose. Confederation applies to a permanent combination for the exercise in common of certain governmental functions. Union implies an alliance so close and permanent that the separate states or parties become essentially one.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interalliance
  noun
• nonalliance
  noun
• prealliance
  noun
• realliance
  noun
• suballiance
  noun
• proalliance
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• alliances
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of alliance

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English aliance, from Old French; equivalent to ally + -ance

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Explanation

Countries that have an alliance, or agreement, help each other out when in need. That means during times of war, for example, if two countries have an alliance, one will help the other by providing weapons and supplies. An alliance doesn't just have to be between two countries; you can see alliances formed on a playground, when kids start clustering in groups or dividing themselves into teams to play tag. An alliance is essentially a connection through which a common interest is shared. A marriage is an alliance between two people who decide to share their lives together.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alliance Alliance alliances

Canadian and European Union leaders meet in Montreal this week for a summit aimed at deepening their alliance as both sides navigate tumultuous relations with the United States.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

Abbas believes Eisenkot and others will be more open to an alliance with his party after the election and insists he wants to join the next government.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

After his mayoral defeat, Becerra’s focus returned to Washington, where an alliance with another powerful Californian was a boon to his career on Capitol Hill.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

War in Ukraine, war in the Persian Gulf, growing stress in the American alliance system, greater cohesion among America’s opponents, social unease about artificial intelligence: 2026 won’t go down in history as a calm year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

Furthermore, there was one major factor pushing them into a shaky alliance.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Haitian detentions in four Ohio jails had shot up more than 140 percent in the first five weeks since the end of their protected status, according to a report from the Ohio Immigrant Alliance.

From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2026

The Alliance, which was set to host a press-freedom event, said it canceled in part because of safety concerns for panelists and attendees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

Other businesses and nonprofits interested in the licensing program must apply through the Regional Alliance Marketplace for Procurement at RAMPLA.org, between Oct.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

Even their typically rather conservative trade group, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, has said since 2023 that AM is unnecessary for emergency alerts and an impediment to making better cars.

From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2026

Rahim Khan told me how, when the Northern Alliance took over Kabul between 1992 and 1996, different factions claimed different parts of Kabul.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

After World War II, the U.S. increasingly relied on military alliances, overseas bases, trade and international institutions to project power.

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2026

“Crises repeatedly generate predictions of collapse, but alliances adapt precisely because the underlying incentives remain compelling.”

From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026

In addition to the alliances above, Joe Lycett was on the TV show Last One Laughing with Rob Beckett.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

The geopolitics of the Horn of Africa are fiendishly complex, with shifting alliances and the involvement of many outside actors with conflicting interests.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

“No, you are my love. But my father the king has alliances to secure by marrying me to a princess of France or Germany. He will prevent us.”

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

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