coterie
noun
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A coterie today is, in essence, a clique—that is, a tight-knit group sharing interests in common. Historically, however, coteries hung around agricultural fields, not garden parties. In medieval France, coterie referred to a group of feudal peasants who together held a parcel of land (that coterie comes from the Old French word for a singular peasant, cotier). Such associations of country people inspired later French speakers to use coterie more broadly and apply it to other kinds of clubs and societies. By the time the word began appearing in English texts in the early 1700s, its meaning had been extended to refer to any circle of people who spent a great deal of time together, who shared the same basic attitudes, and who held a passion for some particular topic. Coterie mostly appears now in formal speech and writing, and tends also to imply a bit of exclusivity—if you’re thinking of joining your local coterie, you may need to learn the secret handshake, or perhaps bone up on the latest techniques for harvesting barley.
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Examples of coterie in a Sentence
Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post, 3 July 2024
The president’s sister, Val Owens, along with her husband and children, have rotated through the courtroom with a coterie of friends.
—Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2024
Ivanishvili, who as Georgian Dream’s kingmaker is the country’s effective ruler, made his fortune in Russia in the 1990s and learned to win in the ruthless business environment of that era; a coterie of people around him have made plenty of money from Russia since the Ukraine war began.
—Thomas De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 3 June 2024
The constant activity in the downstairs kitchen, all overseen by master cook Eugénie (Juliette Binoche), feeds the smoky, cozy hubbub of conversation upstairs among the master of the house, Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel), and a small coterie of friends upstairs.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for coterie 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coterie.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Coterie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coterie. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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coterie
noun
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