fellowship

1 of 2

noun

fel·​low·​ship ˈfe-lə-ˌship How to pronounce fellowship (audio)
-lō-
1
: companionship, company
looking for the fellowship of friendly people
2
a
: community of interest, activity, feeling, or experience
their fellowship in crimeA. J. Ayer
b
: the state of being a fellow or associate
3
: a company of equals or friends : association
a youth fellowship
4
: the quality or state of being comradely
meaningful communication for building trust and fellowship
5
obsolete : membership, partnership
6
a
: the position of a fellow (as of a university)
applied for a research fellowship in physics
b
: the stipend of a fellow
c
: a foundation for the providing of such a stipend

fellowship

2 of 2

verb

fellowshipped also fellowshiped ˈfe-lə-ˌshipt How to pronounce fellowship (audio)
-lō-
; fellowshipping also fellowshiping ˈfe-lə-ˌshi-piŋ How to pronounce fellowship (audio)
-lō-

intransitive verb

: to join in fellowship especially with a church member

transitive verb

: to admit to fellowship (as in a church)

Examples of fellowship in a Sentence

Noun traditions that bind us together in fellowship members of a law firm who violated just about every ethical principle that the legal fellowship holds dear
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The fellowship program will pair college students and recent graduates with election workers in a five-month program that will expose the fellows to the intricacies of election management. Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 15 Mar. 2024 When Janine accepts a fellowship with the district, her optimism makes for an uneasy fit in the halls of power—and with the rest of the Abbott teachers. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 The Pretty Wild fellowship will conclude in October 2024. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024 After graduating from Columbia, Mr. Predock traveled through Europe on a fellowship, carrying India ink and paper and whittling twigs or Popsicle sticks into drawing instruments. Fred A. Bernstein, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 The fellowship will allow Tami Pyfer, who leads UNITE, a nonprofit focused on healing political divides, to develop and distribute a framework for assessing the way people speak to each other. Thalia Beaty, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2024 The world renowned conductor is on the heels of his inaugural season as the artistic director of the New World Symphony, Miami’s prestigious three-year fellowship program and ensemble for young musicians. Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024 Drive Change originally started as a food truck, before expanding operations and creating their fellowship program. Maya Eaglin, NBC News, 10 Feb. 2024 The flashback to the beginning of the school year for Development Day, five months prior, showed how she was enticed to participate in the fellowship program by guest stars Josh Segarra, Kimia Behpoornia and Benjamin Norris. Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2024
Verb
Since the decision, conservative groups have filed and threatened lawsuits against a range of programs that consider race, from diversity fellowships at law firms to maternal-health programs. Nikole Hannah-Jones, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Already, several large law firms and banking giants have either cut or expanded their diversity fellowships after threats of legal action. Byruth Umoh, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 Pfizer and two law firms, Morrison Foerster and Perkins Coie, opened their diversity fellowships last year to students of all races, after lawsuits against them alleged racial discrimination. Steve Lohr, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2024 Blum’s group has also found success targeting major law firms over their diversity fellowships: Three big law firms — Perkins Coie, Morrison Foerster and Winston & Strawn — opened their fellowships for students of color to applicants of all races and backgrounds after being sued. Taylor Telford, Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2024 Those firms have all since opened their diversity fellowships to applicants of all races and backgrounds, and Mr. Blum’s group dropped the suits. Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2024 Soon after, white-shoe law firms like Morrison Foerster and Perkins Coie dialed back their diversity fellowships after being sued by conservative activist Edward Blum, the driving force in the Harvard case. Taylor Telford, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2024 After Blum’s group, the American Alliance for Equal Rights in August sued the Perkins Coie and Morrison Foerster law firms, both opened their diversity fellowships to law students from all backgrounds. Julian Mark, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023 All challenge the use of racial preferences, whether in deciding who to hire, selecting contractors or awarding fellowships. Julian Mark, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fellowship.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English felaweschipe, going back to Old English fēolagscipe, from fēolaga fellow + -scipe -ship

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of fellowship was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near fellowship

Cite this Entry

“Fellowship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fellowship. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fellowship

noun
fel·​low·​ship
ˈfel-ō-ˌship
1
: a friendly relationship among people
2
: a sharing of interest or feeling
3
: a group with similar interests
4
a
: the position of a fellow (as of a university)
b
: the funds granted a fellow

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