syndicate

[sin-di-kit, sin-di-keyt]

noun

1. a group of individuals or organizations combined or making a joint effort to undertake some specific duty or carry out specific transactions or negotiations.

   The local furniture store is individually owned, but is part of a buying syndicate.

2. a combination of bankers or capitalists formed for the purpose of carrying out some project requiring large resources of capital, as the underwriting of an issue of stock or bonds.

3. Journalism.

   1. an agency that buys articles, stories, columns, photographs, comic strips, or other features and distributes them for simultaneous publication in a number of newspapers or periodicals.

   2. a business organization owning and operating a number of newspapers; newspaper chain.

4. a group, combination, or association of gangsters controlling organized crime or one type of crime, especially in one region of the country.

5. a council or body of syndics.

6. a local organization of employers or employees in Italy during the Fascist regime.

verb (used with object)

syndicated, syndicating 

1. to combine into a syndicate.

2. to publish simultaneously, or supply for simultaneous publication, in a number of newspapers or other periodicals.

   Her column is syndicated in 120 papers.

3. Television.,  to sell (a program, series, etc.) directly to independent stations.

4. to sell shares in or offer participation in the financial sharing of (a risk venture, loan, or the like).

   to syndicate a racehorse among speculators;

   to syndicate a loan among several banks.

verb (used without object)

syndicated, syndicating 

1. to combine to form a syndicate.

syndicate

noun

1. an association of business enterprises or individuals organized to undertake a joint project requiring considerable capital

2. a news agency that sells articles, photographs, etc, to a number of newspapers for simultaneous publication

3. any association formed to carry out an enterprise or enterprises of common interest to its members

4. a board of syndics or the office of syndic

5. (in Italy under the Fascists) a local organization of employers or employees

verb

1. (tr) to sell (articles, photographs, etc) to several newspapers for simultaneous publication

2. (tr) to sell (a programme or programmes) to several local commercial television or radio stations

3. to form a syndicate of (people)

Other Word Forms

• syndication noun
• syndicatable adjective
• subsyndicate noun
• supersyndicate noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of syndicate¹

First recorded in 1600–10; from Middle French syndicat “office of syndic, board of syndics,” from Medieval Latin syndicātus, equivalent to syndic + -ate ³ ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of syndicate¹

C17: from Old French syndicat office of a _syndic

Example Sentences

Following the incident, police said in a statement that five people in a "syndicate linked to him" were also arrested.

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That was the first glimpse of a highly secretive international dog fighting syndicate - one which the BBC has spent the past six months investigating and exposing.

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Police said the "mysterious trafficking syndicate" was luring Kenyans with job offers in Moscow, only to send them to fight for the Russian military in Ukraine.

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Their rollicking appearance on the nationally syndicated program was what members claimed caught the attention of Paul McCartney, who supposedly told Beatles manager Brian Epstein he wanted the “Nah Nah boys” to open for them.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

During the crackdown which was carried out between July and August, police identified IP addresses, digital infrastructure, domains and social media profiles linked to members of the scam syndicates.

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Related Words

• association 
• cartel 
• conglomerate 
• gang 
• mob 
• organization 
• ring 
• union