consortium

noun

con·​sor·​tium kən-ˈsȯr-sh(ē-)əm 

-ˈsȯr-tē-əm

plural consortia kən-ˈsȯr-sh(ē-)ə 

-ˈsȯr-tē-ə

also consortiums

1

: an agreement, combination, or group (as of companies) formed to undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of any one member

A consortium of researchers decoded the honeybee genome.

2

: association, society

3

: the legal right of one spouse to the company, affection, and assistance of and to sexual relations with the other

Synonyms of consortium

• organization
• institute
• association
• institution
• society
• chamber
• fraternity
• group
• council
• board

Examples of consortium in a Sentence

A Japanese consortium invested millions in the technology.

a consortium for the prevention of animal cruelty

Recent Examples on the Web

According to Schiebel, the project will bring together a consortium of European defense and technology partners to develop future anti-submarine warfare (ASW) concepts. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 June 2026

Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, where Marineland sent five belugas to in 2021, will also help with the move, the American consortium said. —ABC News, 3 June 2026

In May, L’imad unveiled a $30bn venture targeting energy, transportation and logistics opportunities across the Middle East and Central Asia as part of a consortium that includes BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners and Singapore’s Temasek Holdings. —Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 2 June 2026

The Adaptation and Resilience Investors Collaborative, a consortium of ten development finance institutions, published a framework in 2024 for measuring adaptation impact in ways that are investor-relevant and can be aggregated across portfolios. —Jamil Wyne, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin, fellowship, from consort-, consors — see consort entry 1

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

consortium

noun

con·​sor·​tium kən-ˈsȯr-shəm; -shē-əm 

plural consortia -shə, -shē-ə  also consortiums

1

: an agreement, combination, or group (as of companies) formed to undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of any one member

2

[Medieval Latin, marital partnership, from Latin] : the right of one spouse to the company, affection, and assistance of and to sexual relations with the other

also : the right of a parent or child to the company, affection, and assistance of the other

suing for loss of consortium

compare society

Etymology

Latin, sharing, partnership, from consort-, consors sharer, partner