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

Synonyms of consortium

: 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.

: association, society

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

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

He is set to release a memoir and was in talks with a consortium over potentially investing in Alpine. — Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 7 July 2026 Gumede’s consortium bought Tongaat Hulett out of near liquidation earlier this year, taking control of a business whose mills and grower networks anchor rural economies across Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 3 July 2026 Temasek was also part of a consortium with Centurium Capital and True Light Capital, a private equity firm under Temasek, that took ANE private in February. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 8 July 2026 In 2025, a consortium of private donors pledged $1 billion toward the FCC’s construction, marking the first time in CERN’s history that private philanthropy has committed to a flagship research project at this scale. — Florencia Canelli, Scientific American, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for consortium

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of consortium was in 1829

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

consortism

consortium

consort with

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Consortium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consortium. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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Legal Definition

consortium

noun

con·sor·tium kən-ˈsȯr-shəm; -shē-əm

plural consortia -shə, -shē-ə also consortiums

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

[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

consortium

noun

Synonyms of consortium

Examples of consortium in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Legal Definition

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