consortium

noun

con·​sor·​tium kən-ˈsȯr-sh(ē-)əm 

-ˈsȯr-tē-əm

plural consortia kən-ˈsȯr-sh(ē-)ə 

-ˈsȯr-tē-ə

also consortiums

1

: an agreement, combination, or group (as of companies) formed to undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of any one member

A consortium of researchers decoded the honeybee genome.

2

: association, society

3

: the legal right of one spouse to the company, affection, and assistance of and to sexual relations with the other

Synonyms of consortium

• organization
• institute
• association
• institution
• society
• chamber
• fraternity
• group
• council
• board

Examples of consortium in a Sentence

A Japanese consortium invested millions in the technology.

a consortium for the prevention of animal cruelty

Recent Examples on the Web

Past the lobby lie the consortium’s constellation of swimming pools (four total, including one Nobu-exclusive, adults-only dip) and, across the bustling boardwalk, a stretch of beach with loungers reserved just for guests. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026

Nvidia’s $500 billion consortium includes the four largest alternative-asset managers in the world and six of the top eight. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026

The transaction that saw the smaller Paramount Skydance take over the larger WBD was enabled through Byzantine financing structures and a consortium of debt partners that include Middle East sovereign wealth funds. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026

Risk and liability Matt Maher, founder of M7 Innovations and a consortium partner with MIT Media Lab, asked who is liable when an AI agent breaches a contract or causes other harm. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin, fellowship, from consort-, consors — see consort entry 1

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

consortium

noun

con·​sor·​tium kən-ˈsȯr-shəm; -shē-əm 

plural consortia -shə, -shē-ə  also consortiums

1

: an agreement, combination, or group (as of companies) formed to undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of any one member

2

[Medieval Latin, marital partnership, from Latin] : the right of one spouse to the company, affection, and assistance of and to sexual relations with the other

also : the right of a parent or child to the company, affection, and assistance of the other

suing for loss of consortium

compare society

Etymology

Latin, sharing, partnership, from consort-, consors sharer, partner