Alliance

A relationship in which people or groups cooperate for mutual support or a shared aim.

Reach for it when naming purposeful cooperation that is stronger than a loose connection

The clinics formed an alliance to provide weekend care across the county.

• playful

  team-up

  a casual joint effort should sound energetic

  not when Team-up is too light for diplomatic or long-term commitments.

• everyday

  collaboration

  people work together on a particular effort

  not when One collaboration does not establish an enduring alliance.

• warm

  fellowship

  companionship and shared values matter more than strategy

  not when Fellowship may offer belonging without coordinated action.

• warm

  solidarity

  public unity with people under pressure is central

  not when Solidarity may be moral support without reciprocal coordination.

• professional

  partnership

  shared work and responsibility are central

  not when A partnership may be commercial and need no broader cause.

• formal

  coalition

  several groups unite around a defined public objective

  not when Coalitions are often temporary and may contain uneasy members.

• formal

  pact

  a specific agreement binds the parties

  not when A pact is the promise itself, not the whole relationship.

• rivalry
• division
• hostility

• strategic alliance

  The museums built a strategic alliance for conserving fragile textiles.

• form an alliance

  Independent growers will form an alliance before negotiating freight rates.

• lasting alliance

  Shared training created a lasting alliance between the rescue teams.