confederate

adjective
con·​fed·​er·​ate | \ kən-ˈfe-d(ə-)rət How to pronounce confederate (audio) \

Definition of confederate

 (Entry 1 of 3)

1 : united in a league : allied
2 capitalized : of or relating to the Confederate States of America

confederate

noun

Definition of confederate (Entry 2 of 3)

2 capitalized : an adherent of the Confederate States of America or their cause

confederate

verb
con·​fed·​er·​ate | \ kən-ˈfe-də-ˌrāt How to pronounce confederate (audio) \
confederated; confederating

Definition of confederate (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

: to unite in a confederacy

intransitive verb

: to band together

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Other Words from confederate

Verb

confederative \ kən-​ˈfe-​d(ə-​)rə-​tiv How to pronounce confederative (audio) , -​də-​ˌrā-​ \ adjective

Synonyms & Antonyms for confederate

Synonyms: Noun

abettor (also abetter), accessory (also accessary), accomplice, cohort

Synonyms: Verb

ally, associate, band (together), club, coalesce, cohere, conjoin, cooperate, federate, league, unite

Antonyms: Verb

break up, disband

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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
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Plus, DeLue said, most confederate monuments aren't significant works of art discussed in art history lectures. Kristin Lam, USA TODAY, "A California school board has voted to paint over a mural of George Washington. Educators want to save it," 11 July 2019 During the Civil War, 500 of the 600 students enrolled at UVA would serve as confederate soldiers. Morgan Hines, USA TODAY, "Ghosts of Charlottesville: Racial divide haunts city as case against white supremacist closes," 14 July 2019 On the same night, Virginia Republicans nominated a hard-right Senate candidate, Corey Stewart, who has made racially charged attacks on immigrants and supported confederate symbols. Jonathan Tamari, Anchorage Daily News, "Primary results show the GOP is all in on Trump," 16 June 2018 Texas has the second highest number of confederate monuments of any states in the nation still left standing at 209. Doug Criss And Elizabeth Elkin, CNN, "The state leading the way in removing Confederate monuments? Texas," 5 June 2018 Alfred Brophy, a professor at the University of Alabama Law School, discusses the legal restrictions facing cities and towns that want to remove confederate monuments and memorials. Bloomberg.com, "Bloomberg Law Brief: Legal Hurdles for Monument Removal (Audio)," 18 Aug. 2017 Debates raged over Dana Schutz’s abstract rendering of Emmett Till at the Whitney Biennial and the hundreds of confederate monuments throughout the nation. Lori Waxman, chicagotribune.com, "The year in visual art was a dizzying reflection of today," 14 Dec. 2017 Other lawmakers, most of them Democrats, have called for the plaque’s removal, along with a review of other confederate symbols around the Capitol grounds. Alejandra Matos, Houston Chronicle, "Abbott to ask for review of Confederate plaque in Capitol," 27 Oct. 2017 As Democrat Ralph Northam and Republican Ed Gillespie vie for the governor's seat in Virginia, confederate monuments have become a significant issue ahead of the November election. Kathryn Watson, CBS News, "After Charlottesville, confederate statues become hot-button issue in Virginia governor's race," 27 Oct. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

After his confederate tenure, Castleman was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson and later became a brigadier general in the U.S. Army. Sarah Ladd, The Courier-Journal, "Arts group will file appeal to fight removal of Castleman statue in Cherokee Triangle," 10 June 2019 And why involve confederates when doing so needlessly created witnesses to his own wrongdoing? Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, "Are Hate-Crime Laws Helping?," 22 Feb. 2019 These days, confederate soldiers have been reported to still haunt the Central Burying Ground, says Baltrusis, who also runs the Boston Haunts ghost tour. Condé Nast Traveler, "8 Most Haunted Cities In America and Why You Should Visit," 18 Oct. 2018 Richmond, a former capital city of the Confederacy, is not the first city that chose to replace a confederate inspired school name with that of the first African-American president. Jamie Spain, PEOPLE.com, "Virginia School Named for Confederate General Changed to Barack Obama Elementary," 19 June 2018 On Sunday, activists unrelated to the Ida B. Wells Commemorative Art Committee plan to host a memorial service for Wells-Barnett at Oak Woods Cemetery as a way to counter another gathering there that spotlights confederate veterans. Lolly Bowean, chicagotribune.com, "For family of Ida B. Wells-Barnett, hopes that renewed interest translates into a monument," 20 Apr. 2018 Flying the confederate flag bothers me more—as the South attempted to secede from the same Union that the flag represents. Peter King, SI.com, "2018 NFL Draft: What Bill Belichick and the Patriots Will Do ... (We Think)," 11 Apr. 2018 People were offended because six confederate soldiers died on George’s island . Scott Berson, charlotteobserver, "This statehouse has a ‘General Hooker Entrance.’ A female lawmaker wants it removed | Charlotte Observer," 22 Mar. 2018 Robert Mueller’s indictment of these operatives revealed a network of virtual front groups and confederate activist accounts, which were promoted through targeted online advertising and attracted hundreds of thousands of followers. Anthony Nadler, WIRED, "Facebook and Google Must Ban Ads From Dark Money Groups," 21 Mar. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Should confederate monuments be preserved or destroyed? Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, "Julie Mehretu Started Her Majestic New Paintings Right After The Election," 4 Sep. 2017 The Warren County monument is one of four memorials to confederate soldiers in Ohio. Cincinnati.com, "Residents demand Confederate monument be returned," 22 Aug. 2017 The jury would not be allowed to know about Tensing’s Great Smoky Mountains confederate flag T-shirt. Brandon Harris, New Republic, "Searching for Justice for Samuel DuBose," 20 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'confederate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of confederate

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1531, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

History and Etymology for confederate

Adjective

Middle English confederat, from Late Latin confoederatus, past participle of confoederare to unite by a league, from Latin com- + foeder-, foedus compact — more at federal

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