confederation
/kənˌfɛdəˈreɪʃən/
noun
- A group of countries, states, or organizations that join together for a common purpose while each keeps its own independence.
- Several labor unions formed a confederation to negotiate better wages.
- The European Union began as a confederation of six countries.
- The Iroquois Confederacy was a powerful union of Native American tribes.
- The act of joining together in such a group or alliance.
- The confederation of the colonies took place in 1867.
- Their confederation into a single trade bloc boosted regional trade.
- The treaty led to the confederation of the two nations.