Definition of 'cohort'

Word Frequency

cohort

(koʊhɔːʳt )

Word forms: plural cohorts

1. countable noun [usually poss NOUN]

A person's cohorts are their friends, supporters, or associates.

[disapproval]

Drake and his cohorts were not pleased with my appointment.

Synonyms: supporter, partner, associate, mate More Synonyms of cohort

2. countable noun [usually with supplement]

A cohort of people is a group who have something in common. Cohort is used especially when a group is being looked at as a whole for statistical purposes.

Tests were carried out on the entire cohort of eight-year-olds at primary school.

She speaks for a whole cohort of young Japanese writers.

More Synonyms of cohort

cohort in British English

(ˈkəʊhɔːt )

noun

one of the ten units of between 300 and 600 men in an ancient Roman Legion

any band of warriors or associates

the cohorts of Satan

3. mainly US

an associate or follower

4. biology

a taxonomic group that is a subdivision of a subclass (usually of mammals) or subfamily (of plants)

5. statistics

a group of people with a statistic in common, esp having been born in the same year

Word origin

C15: from Latin cohors yard, company of soldiers; related to hortus garden

Word Frequency

cohort in American English

(ˈkoʊˌhɔrt )

noun

an ancient Roman military unit of 300-600 men, constituting one tenth of a legion

a band of soldiers

any group or band

an associate, colleague, or supporter

one of the mayor's cohorts

a conspirator or accomplice

a subgroup sharing a common factor in a statistical survey, as age or income level

Word origin

ME < L cohors, enclosure, enclosed company, hence, retinue, crowd < co-, co- + IE *ĝhṛtis, a gathering < base *ĝher-, to grasp, enclose > yard2

Word Frequency

cohort in American English

(ˈkouhɔrt)

noun

a group or company

She has a cohort of admirers

a companion or associate

one of the ten divisions in an ancient Roman legion, numbering from 300 to 600 soldiers

any group of soldiers or warriors

an accomplice; abettor

He got off with probation, but his cohorts got ten years apiece

a group of persons sharing a particular statistical or demographic characteristic

the cohort of all children born in 2000

7. Biology

an individual in a population of the same species

A cohort was originally one of the ten divisions of a legion in the Roman army, containing from 300 to 600 men. The most common use of cohort today is in the sense “group” or “company”: A cohort of hangers-on followed the singer down the corridor. In a development emphasizing the idea of companionship, cohort has also come to mean a single companion, associate, or the like: The senator strode into the room followed by his faithful cohort, his son-in-law.

Word origin

[1475–85; ‹ MF cohorte ‹ L cohort- (s. of cohors) farmyard, armed force (orig. from a particular place or camp), cohort, retinue, equiv. to co- co- + hort- (akin to hortus garden); r. late ME cohors ‹ L nom. sing.]

Examples of 'cohort' in a sentence
cohort

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That only encourages the dolphin to make people its social cohorts rather than other dolphins.There is a growing cohort of young adults who are bucking the trend. Already the first cohort of applicants has been made offers using the new system with very encouraging results.If we were to look at a younger cohort it would make sense that the gap between men and women would be less.Arguably no other club in the country have such a fine cohort of self-made young men.The exchange is hoping to take on two to three cohorts each year to help them to mature and prepare their profile for investors.The first cohort completed their diplomas this summer and nearly all underperformed against expectations, many missing their university offers.I am sure this year 's cohort will make valuable contacts to benefit their own ventures.But over age ranges of as much as 10 years, the cohort differences may be significant.It will, of course, take time for these younger cohorts of women to work their way up.