Meaning & use
military alliance
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
An agreement in which two or more countries promise to support each other with armed forces.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a military alliance' or 'several military alliances'.
Patterns
- a military alliance with a country
- form/join a military alliance
- a military alliance between countries
The two neighbors signed a military alliance after years of tense border talks.
NATO is the best-known military alliance in the world.
Small states often join a military alliance to feel safer against larger rivals.
nouncountable
The group of countries that have made such an agreement, seen as a single body.
Grammar: Used with a singular or plural verb: 'The alliance has agreed' or 'The alliance have agreed' (British).
Patterns
- the alliance agreed to something
- the alliance member states
- leave the alliance
The alliance sent a joint statement to the United Nations.
Several members of the alliance refused to take part in the operation.
The alliance meets twice a year to review its defense plans.
Word forms
| plural | military alliances |
|---|
Common combinations
- join a military alliance
- The country voted to join a military alliance for the first time.
- form a military alliance
- The two governments formed a military alliance in secret.
- a military alliance with
- They built a military alliance with their northern neighbor.
- a military alliance between
- A military alliance between the three states changed the balance of power.
- leave a military alliance
- Leaving a military alliance is politically difficult.
- a member of a military alliance
- Every member of a military alliance must pay toward its costs.
Synonyms and how they differ
- defense pact
- A defense pact is narrower and stresses the promise to defend each other, while a military alliance can also cover training, bases, and shared planning.
- coalition
- A coalition can be a temporary wartime partnership or even a political grouping; a military alliance is usually a formal, longer-lasting agreement.
- bloc
- A bloc is any group of states acting together, often for trade or politics, so it is less specific about military support.
Word family
Commonly confused: military alliance or military aid?
military alliance vs military aid
Military aid is weapons, money, or training given to another country; a military alliance is a formal promise of mutual support.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'military alliance' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A military alliance is an agreement between states, so 'signed a military alliance' fits. Option 2 treats it as a physical structure, and 3 and 4 treat it as clothing or a school subject, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “military alliance”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.