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

• syndicatable adjective
• syndication noun
• 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

The AidData report suggests Beijing increasingly prefers the relative economic safety and political cover of syndicated lending in order to generate returns with less risk or controversy.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Mia Thornton, 40, separated from husband Gordon Thornton in 2023, then dated nationally syndicated DJ Incognito for a year before breaking up with him and reuniting with her estranged hubby this past New Year’s Eve.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Some syndicates use a "sea bump" method to transport narcotics, he said, which involves dropping bundles of drugs equipped with trackers into the ocean for retrieval later.

Read more on BBC

But sea crossings, facilitated by human trafficking syndicates, are hazardous and often lead to overloaded boats capsizing.

Read more on Barron's

Typically, no more than a dozen banks arrange a project-finance loan, but the Jacquard “syndicate” includes more than 30 institutions, according to the deal materials reviewed by the Journal.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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