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ally1

Syllabification: (al·ly)
Translate ally | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of ally

noun

Pronunciation: /ˈalī/

(plural allies)
  • a state formally cooperating with another for a military or other purpose, typically by treaty.
  • a person or organization that cooperates with or helps another in a particular activity:he was forced to dismiss his closest political ally
  • (the Allies) a group of nations taking military action together, in particular the countries that fought with the US in World War I and World War II.

verb

Pronunciation: /əˈlī/

(allies, allying, allied) [with object] (ally something to/with)
  • combine or unite a resource or commodity with (another) for mutual benefit:he allied his racing experience with his father’s business acumen
  • (ally oneself with) side with or support (someone or something):he allied himself with the forces of change

Origin:

Middle English (as a verb): from Old French alier, from Latin alligare 'bind together', from ad- 'to' + ligare 'to bind'; the noun is partly via Old French alie 'allied'. Compare with alloy

Spelling rule

If a word ends in a consonant plus -y (as in defy), change the -y to an -i before adding any ending (unless the ending already begins with an -i): (allies, allying, allied).

ally in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of ally in the British & World English dictionary

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