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
Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2024
President Lincoln was assassinated by a confederate sympathizer.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 8 July 2024
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
Prosecutors said that workers in on the scheme would open the gates for trucks driven by their confederates, who loaded them up with raw copper and drove right back out.
—Vince Beiser, WIRED, 22 Aug. 2024
Tom Tapp, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for confederate 
Adjective
The series somewhat downplays the real-life danger: In the show, men in a truck wagging a confederate flag egg Ali’s lodge.
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2024
President Lincoln was assassinated by a confederate sympathizer.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 8 July 2024
Noun
In June, the small left-wing magazine Jewish Currents summoned its donors and close confederates to a private event in a penthouse apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
Prosecutors said that workers in on the scheme would open the gates for trucks driven by their confederates, who loaded them up with raw copper and drove right back out.
—Vince Beiser, WIRED, 22 Aug. 2024
Verb
Rowling and longtime confederates Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts are exec producing, so she is expected to be involved in the decision-making on the series.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2024
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
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 28 Sep. 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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