voluntary association

American  

noun

1. a group of individuals joined together on the basis of mutual interest or common objectives, especially a business group that is not organized or constituted as a legal entity.

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Example Sentences

Against a backdrop of war in the Middle East and Ukraine, the King will commend the unifying force of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 countries.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent countries, most of which have historical ties to the United Kingdom and its former empire.

From Washington Times • Oct. 11, 2023

As secretary general of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 countries that evolved out of the British Empire, Patricia Scotland said the current global financial architecture was not fit for purpose.

From Reuters • Nov. 17, 2022

There were also some questions about whether the loss of the long-reigning monarch might affect the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 nations that, in many cases, have historic and linguistic ties to Britain.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 25, 2022

Its purpose is rather to begin in childhood, both for pleasure and for profit, a voluntary association with books which lie wholly outside of the school program.

From The Library and Society Reprints of Papers and Addresses by Bostwick, Arthur Elmore