What does syndicate mean?
A syndicate is an organized group whose members act together for a shared purpose. In contemporary usage, the word most often denotes a criminal organization involved in activities such as racketeering, extortion, or illegal trafficking. It can also refer to a media syndicate: a group of publishers or broadcasters that distributes the same column, article, or program across different outlets. As a verb, “syndicate” has two related uses. It can mean to bring people together into an organized group, and it commonly means to distribute material through such a network, as in “syndicate a column.” The word carries a strongly negative connotation in its criminal sense but a neutral or professional one in journalism and broadcasting. Understanding both senses helps distinguish the organization itself from the broader process of jointly distributing its content.
An organized group of people acting together, especially a criminal organization; also, a group of publishers or broadcasters that jointly distributes material.
"The investigation focused on a regional crime syndicate."
The criminal sense is strongly negative; the media sense is generally neutral or professional.
To unite or organize people into a syndicate, or to distribute material through a syndicate.
"The column was syndicated by more than forty newspapers."
The publishing sense is especially common in journalism and broadcasting.
Used for criminal organizations and media groups; “syndicates” is also the third-person singular present form of the verb.
"Several rival syndicates controlled the port."
A syndicate began as a group acting together; today the term most often evokes powerful criminal organizations.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does syndicate come from?
English borrowed the word through Latin from Greek syndikētēs, an agent noun associated with syndikatos, meaning “acting together.” The original sense referred to people acting collectively, especially in civic or legal contexts. The modern criminal sense developed later, while the media sense arose from the practice of distributing the same material through a group of publications.
Related word forms
How syndicate is actually used
The noun is often negative or threatening when it refers to crime, while in publishing and broadcasting it denotes cooperative distribution. In the verb form, pronunciation commonly ends with /eɪt/, whereas the noun usually ends with /ət/.
Easily confused with syndicate
A syndicate is a group or its activities, whereas syndication usually refers to the distribution of content through a syndicate or the status of being distributed in that way.