coalition

noun

co·​a·​li·​tion ˌkō-ə-ˈli-shən 

1

a

: the act of coalescing : union

the coalition of water vapor into raindrops

b

: a body formed by the coalescing of originally distinct elements : combination

They formed a coalition with downtown merchants.

2

: a temporary alliance of distinct parties, persons, or states for joint action

A multiparty coalition ruled the country.

coalitionist

ˌkō-ə-ˈli-sh(ə-)nist 

noun

Synonyms

• faction
• party
• wing
• side
• bloc
• team

Examples of coalition in a Sentence

The groups united to form a coalition.

A multiparty coalition ruled the country.

The group is working in coalition with other environmental groups.

Recent Examples on the Web

Biden and his administration also worked closely with America’s allies and partners to form an international coalition to support Ukraine. —Mark Temnycky, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025

Drucilla Tigner, the executive director of statewide coalition Texas For All, said in a news release that the fight extends far past Texas. —Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2025

The event and its scale is being made possible by Dr. Kim’s coalition building skills within and beyond the Korean community, plus a quarter million dollars of personal investment and crowdsourced donations devoted to rent the space. —Jia H. Jung, Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2025

When contacted by Bloomberg, Costco declined to comment on whether its decision was influenced by campaigning from the Christian coalition. —James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from Latin coalescere — see coalesce

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for coalition

• abolition
• acquisition
• admonition
• ammunition
• apparition
• apposition
• competition
• composition
• definition
• deglutition
• demolition
• deposition

Kids Definition

coalition

noun

co·​ali·​tion

ˌkō-ə-ˈlish-ən

: a temporary union of persons, parties, or countries for a common purpose