Coalition Meaning
/kəʊ.əˈlɪʃ.ən/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA temporary group or union of organizations, usually formed for a particular advantage.
nounThe collective noun for a group of cheetahs.
Sentence Examples
The new coalition government is trying to ride out the storm.
The coalition force fired at her car at the checkpoint in Baghdad.
The two parties have formed a coalition.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Three political parties formed a ____ to secure a majority government.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Several parties formed a ____ to govern the country after the election.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Middle French coalition, from Medieval Latin coalitiō, coalitiōnem, from Latin coalitus. Compare coalescence.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"At a time when Mr. Cameron is being squeezed from both sides — from the right by members of his own party and by the anti-immigrant, anti-Europe U.K. Independence Party, and from the left by his Liberal Democrat coalition partners — the move seemed uncharacteristically clunky."
— 2013 May 23, Sarah Lyall, “British Leader’s Liberal Turn Sets Off a Rebellion in His Party”, in New York Times, retrieved 29 May 2013:
"In a quirk of German politics, the governing coalitions are often given names. The previous coalition government, headed by the SPD (red), included the Green Party (green) and Liberal Party (yellow) - together they were known as the “traffic light” coalition."
— 2025 February 22, Sebastian Shukla, Nadine Schmidt and Claudia Otto, “Germany is holding a national election. Here’s what’s at stake”, in CNN:
"Sometimes the ante is upped, the gaggle of bowlers all working on their batsman in turn, like a coalition of cheetahs singling out a vulnerable gazelle, sending their distinctive balls down until the pressure forces a mistake or the batsman gets his own back by smashing a bad ball over everyone’s heads."
— 2013 August 7, Joshi Herrmann, “How cricket netted the hipsters”, in London Evening Standard:
"Majed Sultan Ali was on his second visit to the game reserve in a bid to photograph a coalition of cheetahs."
— 2014 September 6, Darren Boyle, “Running wild! Mother cheetah has SIX cubs keeping her busy by jumping, hiding and climbing all over her”, in The Daily Mail:
"This is the incredible moment a juvenile ostrich attempts to outrun a coalition of cheetahs that forms a central part of the latest BBC programme to be presented by Sir David Attenborough."
— 2015 June 11, “This is the moment an ostrich attempts to outrun cheetahs in Sir David Attenborough's latest show”, in Bristol Post:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
Three political parties formed a ____ to secure a majority government.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Several parties formed a ____ to govern the country after the election.