Meaning & use
confederate
A person who joins or assists another, especially as a partner or accomplice in a secret or illegal plan.
See it in a sentence
Police arrested the thief and his confederate after tracing the stolen goods to a nearby warehouse.
The spy relied on a trusted confederate inside the embassy to pass along information.
A note on using this word
Capitalized as "Confederate," the word instead refers to the Southern states that seceded from the United States during the Civil War of 1861-1865.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Another way to use it
2. adjective
Relating to the Confederate States of America, the southern states that seceded from the Union during the American Civil War.
The museum displays a Confederate uniform worn by a soldier from Georgia.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “confederate”, then compare your use with the examples above.