cohort

noun

co·​hort ˈkō-ˌhȯrt How to pronounce cohort (audio)
1
: companion, colleague
a few of their … cohorts decided to form a companyBurt Hochberg
2
a
: band, group
a cohort of supporters
b
: a group of individuals having a statistical factor (such as age or class membership) in common in a demographic study
a cohort of premedical students
the cohort of people born in the 1980s
c
: one of 10 divisions of an ancient Roman legion
d
: a group of warriors or soldiers

Did you know?

In ancient times, a cohort was a military unit, one of ten divisions in a Roman legion. The term passed into English in the 15th century, when it was used in translations and writings about Roman history. Once cohort became established in our language, its meaning was extended, first to refer to any body of troops, then to any group of individuals with something in common, and later to a single companion. Some usage commentators have objected to this last sense because it can be hard to tell whether the plural refers to different individuals or different groups. The "companion" sense is well established in standard use, however, and its meaning is clear enough in such sentences as "her cohorts came along with her to the game."

Examples of cohort in a Sentence

The police arrested the gang's leader and his cohorts. Depression was a common problem for people in that age cohort.
Recent Examples on the Web On Tuesday, iHeartRadio announced the first cohort of performers — including TLC, Jelly Roll, and Justin Timberlake — at this year’s awards show and revealed that Cher will be honored with the Icon Awards. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 4 Mar. 2024 Underpinning the serving size recommendation is the FDA’s conclusion that, based on two prospective cohorts evaluated in high-quality studies, the specific amount is the minimum necessary to achieve the claimed effect. Kristen Rogers, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 The National Association of Latino Independent Producers and Netflix have announced the third cohort for their Women of Color Incubator — the finalists were chosen from a pool of over 100 applications. Diego Ramos Bechara, Variety, 1 Mar. 2024 In its first three cohorts, more than 45 participants have joined various boards and commissions, according to YDN’s website. Cathie Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 29 Feb. 2024 While European luxury stocks have performed well recently amid a resurgence of spending by US consumers, there’s a case for caution as Citigroup Inc. estimates that about 10% of the cohort’s sales come from China. Ishika Mookerjee, Fortune Asia, 28 Feb. 2024 Applications for the second cohort of Spike Fellows are open now to undergraduates from the Atlanta University Center Consortium – comprised of the HBCUs Morehouse College, Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University – who are interested in working in the entertainment industry. Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2024 The goal is to eventually have cohorts across Marion County public schools so that teachers can start building off each other’s ideas, Marshall said. Caroline Beck, The Indianapolis Star, 26 Feb. 2024 This may be especially true for Gen Z. The first members of this cohort, born after 1997, recently entered the workforce. Dr. Talia Varley, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cohort.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin cohort-, cohors — more at court

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2c

Time Traveler
The first known use of cohort was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near cohort

Cite this Entry

“Cohort.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cohort. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cohort

noun
co·​hort ˈkō-ˌhȯrt How to pronounce cohort (audio)
1
a
: one of 10 divisions of an ancient Roman legion
b
: a group of warriors or followers
2

Medical Definition

cohort

noun
co·​hort ˈkō-ˌhȯ(ə)rt How to pronounce cohort (audio)
: a group of individuals having a statistical factor (as age or risk) in common
the population consisted of two cohorts: 204 clearly exposed and 163 not exposedR. R. Suskind et al.

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