federation

Language: en

🇬🇧 /ˌfɛdəˈreɪʃən/ 🇺🇸 /ˌfɛdɜrˈeɪʃən/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    A political entity formed by the union of partially self-governing states or regions under a central federal government.; An organization or group formed by the union of several smaller organizations or groups for a common purpose.; The act of forming or joining into a federation; the process of federating.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: federations

Collocations

federation of statestrade federationfederation of nationsform a federationfederation of trade unions

Derivatives

federalfederatefederalismfederalistconfederationfederated

Synonyms

unionallianceconfederationcoalitionleagueconsortium

Antonyms

separationdivision

Commonly confused

confederation
EN: A confederation is a looser union where member states retain more sovereignty, while a federation implies a stronger central authority.
federalism
EN: 'Federalism' is the political philosophy or system of government; 'federation' is the actual entity or organization formed.

Spelling tips

EN: Do not confuse 'federation' with 'confederation'; the prefix 'con-' changes the meaning to a looser alliance. Also note the single 'r' in 'federation' (not 'federration').

💬 Examples

  1. The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world by area.

  2. The International Federation of Football Associations governs the sport of soccer worldwide.

  3. The federation of the colonies into a single nation was completed in 1901.