alliance

alliance — noun

1. a union formed by countries, political parties, companies, or individuals that d

1.nounC1
Definition

a union formed by countries, political parties, companies, or individuals that decide to act as one team because they share goals or beliefs.

Example

The Green Party joined an alliance of small parties to challenge the ruling government.

alliance of + plural noun naming the members

Three local farms formed an alliance to sell their fruit directly to Tokyo restaurants.

form an alliance + to-infinitive of shared aim

Common collocations
  • military alliance
  • strategic alliance
  • political alliance
  • form / build / lead an alliance
  • alliance of nations
Synonyms
  • coalition

    often political; parties joining to form a government

  • bloc

    countries or groups voting or acting as one unit

  • federation

    more formal and permanent than an alliance

  • league

    older or more formal; common in sports and history

Grammar Patterns

alliance of + plural noun

alliance between + parties

Usage Note

Subject is usually a group of organizations or countries acting together as one body; distinguish from sense 2, which is the agreement itself rather than the group that exists because of it.

Common Mistakes

He is an alliance of our company.
His company is part of an alliance with ours.
a single person is a member of an alliance, not the alliance itself.

2. a deal or close cooperation in which two or more sides promise to support each o

2.nounC1
Definition

a deal or close cooperation in which two or more sides promise to support each other so they can reach a goal that matters to both.

Example

Sony signed a five-year alliance with a Korean studio to make animated films together.

sign / form an alliance with + partner

The two villages worked in alliance with the police to stop illegal fishing on the lake.

in alliance with + partner

Common collocations
  • sign / enter into an alliance
  • in alliance with
  • alliance breaks down
  • strategic alliance
Synonyms
  • partnership

    broader; common in business between two parties

  • pact

    shorter, often more formal or written

  • treaty

    formal written agreement, usually between states

  • cooperation

    general; the action rather than the deal

Antonyms
  • conflict

    open opposition rather than working together

  • rivalry

    ongoing competition between sides

Grammar Patterns

alliance with + person/group

in alliance with

Usage Note

Frequently appears in 'in alliance with' as a fixed phrase meaning together with. Distinguish from sense 1: this is the agreement or the act of cooperating, not the group that arises from it.

Common Mistakes

They made an alliance to each other.
They made an alliance with each other.
the standard preposition is 'with', not 'to'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Alliance, coalition, partnership, and league all describe groups that act together, but they differ in scope and tone. An alliance is broad: it can cover countries, parties, companies, or local groups, and it suggests a serious shared purpose. A coalition is usually political and often temporary — several parties joining to win a vote or form a government. A partnership is smaller and more business-flavoured, typically between two sides sharing profits or risks. A league sounds older or more formal and is common in sports (the Premier League) and history (the League of Nations). For example, you would say 'a military alliance', 'a coalition government', 'a business partnership', and 'a sports league' — switching the labels would sound odd to most readers.

alliance ↗coalition ↗partnership ↗league ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • military alliance
  • strategic alliance
  • political alliance
  • business alliance
  • alliance partner

Adverbs

Phrases

  • form an alliance
  • in alliance with
  • enter into an alliance
  • break / dissolve an alliance

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Alliance came into English in the late 1200s from Old French 'aliance', a noun built on the verb 'alier' meaning 'to bind together'. That verb traces back to Latin 'alligare', a combination of 'ad-' ('to') and 'ligare' ('to tie'), the same root that gives us 'ligature' and 'ligament'. The early sense in English referred to a tie made through marriage or kinship, and only later widened to political and military unions between states.