cobelligerent

[ koh-buh-lij-er-uhnt ]

noun

1. a state or individual that cooperates with, but is not bound by a formal alliance to another in waging war.

cobelligerent

/ ˌkəʊbɪˈlɪdʒərənt /

noun

1. a country fighting in a war on the side of another country

Word History and Origins

Origin of cobelligerent¹

First recorded in 1805–15; co- + belligerent

Example Sentences

Administration officials have said the move would be “escalatory,” and, according to people briefed on the exchanges, the lawmakers asked the generals if there was any hard intelligence that the jets might push Mr. Putin toward intensifying the conflict by treating the United States as a “cobelligerent” in the war.

From New York Times

Some American officials assert that as a matter of international law, the provision of weaponry and intelligence to the Ukrainian Army has made the United States a cobelligerent, an argument that some legal experts dispute.

From New York Times

Other assertions about Mr. Awlaki included that he was a leader of the group, which had become a “cobelligerent” with Al Qaeda, and he was pushing it to focus on trying to attack the United States again.

From New York Times

Another, Italy's Vittorio Emanuele III, is a somewhat down-at-the-heel cobelligerent of the United Nations.

From Time Magazine Archive

He argued from a sound position: the U.S. owed a certain loyalty to its principal cobelligerent, South Korea, and South Korea's Syngman Rhee was firmly opposed to having India at the conference.

From Time Magazine Archive