coalition

plural coalitions · alternative rare coälition

1. countableuncountableA temporary group or union of organizations, usually formed for a particular advantage.

   The Liberal Democrats and Conservative parties formed a coalition government in 2010.

   2 more examples

   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

2. collectivecountablerareuncountableA group of cheetahs.

   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

   2 more examples

   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

   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

1. AustraliaabbreviationellipsisgovernmentEllipsis of Coalition of the Liberal Party and National Party, the Liberal-National coalition.
2. USabbreviationellipsisgovernmentEllipsis of Coalition of the Willing (“the coalition of nations operating under United States command against Iraq, in the U.S.-Iraq War (Gulf War II; "Iraq War") and its aftermath”).
3. Any of several series of nations allied against France in the Napoleonic Wars; in the War of the First Coalition, War of the Second Coalition, etc.

1. AustraliaderogatorymildlyslanggovernmentThe Coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party, emphasising its pro-coal policies.

   2019 David Llewellyn-Smith, Can Albo out-coal the COALition? MacroBusiness, 28 May 2019. Accessed 3 June 2019.

   1 more example

   2017 Giles Parkinson, Big utilities about to pay price of saying no to coal and COALition Renew Economy, 11 September 2017. Accessed 3 June 2019.