ally

verb al·ly \ ə-ˈlī , ˈa-ˌlī \

Updated on: 4 Jan 2018

Definition of ally

allied; allying

transitive verb

: to unite or form a connection or relation between : associate

He allied himself with a wealthy family by marriage.

intransitive verb

: to form or enter into an alliance

two factions allying with each other

See ally defined for English-language learners

See ally defined for kids

Examples of ally in a Sentence

There may be occasions when America can ally with some of those states, as we did during the Gulf War. —Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review, 15 Oct. 2001
Teresa's right to teach, however, would not be vindicated until our time when the late Paul VI named her a doctor of the church. In her own lifetime Teresa had the good sense to ally herself with outstanding supporters such as the observant Franciscan Peter Alcantara and the famous Dominican theologian, Domenico Báñez. —Lawrence S. Cunningham, Commonweal, 28 Jan. 2000
The singers ally themselves with a gifted songwriter, and everyone gets some major-label exposure for what just happens to be a splendid album. —Michael Azerrad, Rolling Stone, 13-27 July 1995
Generally, however, psychoanalysts do ally themselves with two positions, the first of which is that dreams are meaningful. —Wynn Schwartz, Dreamtime and Dreamwork, 1990
She's allied herself with the moderates on this issue.
countries allying themselves with the EU
He'll even admit that he's hoping to ally himself to a wealthy family by marriage.
They've allied with their former enemies.

Recent Examples of ally from the Web

New liberal organizations that have sprouted since Trump's election have allied with Democrats to block efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act - and helped ensure that every Democrat voted against the GOP's tax-cut package.

— david weigel and ed o'keefe, chicagotribune.com, "Democrats who supported spending bill face angry backlash over immigration," 23 Dec. 2017
Six months later the Houthis, allied with the forces of former strongman President Ali Abdullah Saleh, arrived at the gates of Aden.

— TIME.com, "Between Life and Death in Yemen," 19 Dec. 2017
The anger, cut with a measure of relief at his stumble, was apparent among Republicans allied with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

— gregory krieg, CNN, "Bannon's '#war' on the GOP suffers embarrassing blow," 13 Dec. 2017
For centuries, the monastery’s walls protected these manuscripts, but the political situation outside remains turbulent; last spring, militants allied with ISIS killed a policeman a few hundred yards from its gates.

— jo marchant, Smithsonian, "Archaeologists Are Only Just Beginning to Reveal the Secrets Hidden in These Ancient Manuscripts," 11 Dec. 2017
The most intense fighting has subsided since Somalian forces allied with African Union peacekeepers drove al Shabaab out of Mogadishu in 2011.

— time, Time, "Bomb Blasts Have Killed More than 270 in Somalia. Here's What You Need To Know," 16 Oct. 2017
Five of the analysts said a Sept. 12 High Court ruling that overturned the election of ANC leaders allied to Zuma in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, which has the biggest number of ruling party members, had boosted Ramaphosa’s campaign.

— michael cohen, Bloomberg.com, "Ramaphosa Leads South African Leadership Race, Analysts Say," 14 Sep. 2017
The First Nations people, who allied with the French in the time of New France, welcome visitors to the Huron-Wendat Museum and Huron Traditional Site on the Huron-Wendat reservation, a self-governing territory in the midst of Québec City.

— Smithsonian, "Learn More About Quebec’s History and Heritage.," 19 May 2017
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied producers such as Russia are currently debating whether to extend their output-cuts agreement, which is set to expire in March.

— javier blas, yousef gamal el-din and bruce stanley, Houston Chronicle, "Total's Pouyanne says company in talks to uy Engie LNG assets," 24 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ally.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ally

Middle English allien, from Anglo-French alier, from Latin alligare to bind to, from ad- + ligare to bind — more at ligature

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

ally Synonyms

Synonyms

associate, band (together), club, coalesce, cohere, confederate, conjoin, cooperate, federate, league, unite, close ranks, pull together

Antonyms

break up, disband

Related Words

cabal, collaborate, gang up, hang together, team (up); incorporate, organize, unionize; affiliate; amalgamate, combine, conglomerate, consolidate, converge, group, join, merge; knot, link, tie, wed

Near Antonyms

detach, disengage, dissolve, disunite, divorce, part, segregate, separate, sever, split, sunder; alienate, estrange, fall out

ally

noun al·ly \ ˈa-ˌlī , ə-ˈlī \

Definition of ally

plural allies

1 : a sovereign or state associated with another by treaty or league

America and its allies

2 : one that is associated with another as a helper : a person or group that provides assistance and support

She has proven to be a valuable ally in the fight for better working conditions.

3 : a plant or animal linked to another by genetic or taxonomic proximity

ferns and their allies

See ally defined for English-language learners

Examples of ally in a Sentence

When the Soviets pulled out in early 1989, the ensuing power vacuum turned former allies into enemies. The Muslim fighters known as mujahideen, who were unified in their struggle against the Soviets, disbanded and fought one another for control of Kabul in a devastating civil war. —Jiffer Bourguignon, Saveur, March 2008
Our allies would need us more than we would need them, so we could count on them to rally to our side in a crunch. —Samantha Power, New York Times Book Review, 29 July 2007
These groups have learned from experience that the media are their most valuable ally. Publicity increases tips that fuel an investigation, and many communities have launched special-alert systems in the past few years to get news of an abduction on the air within minutes. —Andrew Murr, Newsweek, 29 July 2002
fought with the Allies in World War II
She's counting on her allies in the state legislature.

Recent Examples of ally from the Web

But on Thursday, FBI Director Christopher Wray announced that top FBI lawyer James Baker, an ally of former director James Comey and a target of GOP attacks, had been reassigned, much to Comey’s chagrin.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Will the FBI Snap Under Trump’s Pressure?," 24 Dec. 2017
Kadyrov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, had been widely believed to have already been on a classified list of U.S. sanctions targets.

— josh lederman, chicagotribune.com, "U.S. slaps leader of Chechnya, police chief with sanctions over anti-gay purge," 23 Dec. 2017
Elmar Brok, a German lawmaker in the European Parliament and ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, said in an interview on Deutschlandfunk radio.

— rodrigo orihuela, Bloomberg.com, "Catalan Separatist Victory Fails to Calm Struggle With Spain," 22 Dec. 2017
As Mueller has drawn closer to Trump’s inner circle, allies of the president have escalated their attacks against the special counsel.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "Republicans Are Quietly Putting Their Anti-Mueller Plans into Action," 21 Dec. 2017
One of the play's central themes focuses on the dynamic between the Duchess and a devout Christian crusader, Mrs. Sarah Smith, the matron of the Home for Friendless Women (and hardly an obvious ally for a brothel owner).

— steve mannheimer, Indianapolis Star, "Notorious madam, married six times, inspires new play and catches Hollywood's eye," 20 Dec. 2017
Even the Czechs, allies of the Poles inside the central European Visegrad group, are said to be ready to back Article 7.

— The Economist, "There are no good options for dealing with Poland’s government," 19 Dec. 2017
The call and the tweet were unusually hostile for an ally that’s fought alongside American troops in nearly every conflict since World War II.

— krishnadev calamur, The Atlantic, "The International Incidents Sparked by Trump's Twitter Feed in 2017," 19 Dec. 2017
The latest installment’s crowning jewel of a lightsaber battle features Kylo Ren and Rey not as opponents, but as allies.

— ciara wardlow, The Hollywood Reporter, "The Path 'The Last Jedi' Didn't Take," 18 Dec. 2017

Origin and Etymology of ally

see ¹ally

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1598

See Words from the same year

ally Synonyms

Synonyms

abettor (also abetter), backer, bedfellow, confederate, fellow traveler, supporter, sympathizer

Related Words

empathizer, well-wisher; accessory (also accessary), accomplice, coalitionist, collaborationist, collaborator; adjunct, assistant, coadjutor, helper; associate, cohort, colleague, fellow, partner; buddy, chum, companion, comrade, confidant, crony, familiar, friend, intimate, mate, pal

Near Antonyms

belittler, detractor; adversary, enemy, foe, opponent

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

-ally

adverb suffix

Definition of -ally

: ²-ly

terrifically

—in adverbs formed from adjectives in -ic with no alternative form in -ical

Origin and Etymology of -ally

¹-al + -ly

ALLY Defined for English Language Learners

ally

verb

Definition of ally for English Language Learners

: to join (yourself) with another person, group, etc., in order to get or give support

ally

noun

Definition of ally for English Language Learners

: a country that supports and helps another country in a war
the Allies : the nations that fought together against Germany in World War I or World War II
: a person or group that gives help to another person or group

ALLY Defined for Kids

ally

noun al·ly \ ˈa-ˌlī , ə-ˈlī \

Definition of ally for Students

plural allies

: a person, group, or nation associated or united with another in a common purpose

ally

verb al·ly \ ə-ˈlī , ˈa-ˌlī \

Definition of ally for Students

allied; allying

: to form a connection between : join in an alliance

He allied himself with supporters of the new law.

Learn More about ally

See words that rhyme with ally Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ally Spanish Central: Translation of ally Nglish: Translation of ally for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ally for Arabic speakers

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ally

Definition of ally

Examples of ally in a Sentence

Recent Examples of ally from the Web

Origin and Etymology of ally

ally Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Government and Politics Terms

-ally

Definition of -ally

Origin and Etymology of -ally

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ALLY Defined for English Language Learners

ally

Definition of ally for English Language Learners

ally

Definition of ally for English Language Learners

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