fraternity

noun

fra·​ter·​ni·​ty frə-ˈtər-nə-tē 

plural fraternities

1

: a group of people associated or formally organized for a common purpose, interest, or pleasure: such as

a

: a fraternal order

b

: guild sense 1

c

: a men's student organization formed chiefly for social purposes having secret rites and a name consisting of Greek letters

d

: a student organization for scholastic, professional, or extracurricular activities

a debating fraternity

2

: the quality or state of being brothers : brotherliness

3

: persons of the same class, profession, character, or tastes

the racetrack fraternity

Synonyms

• association
• board
• brotherhood
• chamber
• club
• college
• congress
• consortium
• council
• fellowship
• guild
• gild
• institute
• institution
• league
• order
• organization
• society
• sodality

Examples of fraternity in a Sentence

an atmosphere of fraternity and cooperation

a firm believer in community service and a dedicated member of the local fraternity of Good Samaritans

Recent Examples on the Web

Last fall, for example, Trump stopped by an Iowa State University fraternity house to flip burgers and throw autographed footballs. —Dylan Wells, Washington Post, 15 June 2024

After police on campus restored the American flag, about 30 counter-protesters, including members of the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi, came together and guarded it for hours, fraternity members said. —Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024

Phillips was one of six Kentucky players charged with first-degree burglary in Aug. 2021, in connection with an incident at a fraternity house party. —Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2024

This vote comes one day after a Jewish fraternity house at the University of Arizona released a statement about graffiti defacing a wall of the house. —Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 9 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fraternity

• inter-fraternity

Kids Definition

fraternity

noun

fra·​ter·​ni·​ty frə-ˈtər-nət-ē 

plural fraternities

1

: a social, honorary, or professional organization

especially : a social club of male college students

2

: brotherhood sense 1, brotherliness