con·fed·er·ate
kən-ˈfe-d(ə-)rət 
1
: united in a league : allied
2
Confederate
: of or relating to the Confederate States of America
plural confederates
1
: ally, accomplice
2
Confederate
: an adherent of the Confederate States of America or their cause
con·fed·er·ate
kən-ˈfe-də-ˌrāt
confederated; confederating
: to unite in a confederacy
: to band together
Synonyms
Examples of confederate in a Sentence
Noun
the Yankees and the Confederates
the police were able to track down his confederates once the thief started talking
Verb
the nations confederated in order to lower international trade barriers
Recent Examples on the Web
New York Times, 14 May 2024
The provision was used often in the years immediately after the Civil War, but fell into disuse after Congress granted an amnesty to many confederate veterans in 1872.
—Nicholas Riccardi, Fortune, 21 Dec. 2023
Craig Silverman, ProPublica, 17 Jan. 2024
But Pétain’s regime, which had, to varying degrees, also administered much of the initial occupied zone, endured, even as the marshal’s power continued to be whittled away by the occupiers and their confederates within his own government.
—Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
More than 170 years ago, before Canada confederated in 1867, Indigenous people in what’s now Northern Ontario signed treaties, ceding a vast territory north of Lake Superior and Lake Huron to the Crown in exchange for a promise: that the wealth flowing from the land would be shared with them.
—Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for confederate 
Adjective
An article on Saturday about a school district in Virginia that voted to reinstate confederate names to several schools misstated the surname of a former member of the Shenandoah County school board.
—New York Times, 14 May 2024
The provision was used often in the years immediately after the Civil War, but fell into disuse after Congress granted an amnesty to many confederate veterans in 1872.
—Nicholas Riccardi, Fortune, 21 Dec. 2023
Noun
Six of his confederates had already pleaded guilty to criminal charges.
—Craig Silverman, ProPublica, 17 Jan. 2024
But Pétain’s regime, which had, to varying degrees, also administered much of the initial occupied zone, endured, even as the marshal’s power continued to be whittled away by the occupiers and their confederates within his own government.
—Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023
Verb
Authorities are accusing Antonio Hernandez and confederates Ivan Murillo-Hernandez and Alexis Garcia Martinez of ripping off mail from unsuspecting venues with the help of four juveniles, whose names were not released.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
More than 170 years ago, before Canada confederated in 1867, Indigenous people in what’s now Northern Ontario signed treaties, ceding a vast territory north of Lake Superior and Lake Huron to the Crown in exchange for a promise: that the wealth flowing from the land would be shared with them.
—Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for confederate
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'confederate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near confederate
Cite this Entry
“Confederate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confederate. Accessed 6 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
confederate
1 of 3 adjective
con·fed·er·ate
kən-ˈfed-(ə-)rət
1
: united in a league : allied
2
capitalized
: of or relating to the Confederate States of America
Confederate money
confederate
2 of 3 noun2
capitalized
: a soldier, citizen, or supporter of the Confederate States of America
confederate
3 of 3 verb
con·fed·er·ate
kən-ˈfed-ə-ˌrāt
confederated; confederating
: to unite in a confederacy
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