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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
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 11 July 2025
Several workforce hubs now exist and most of them have graduated at least one to three cohorts of 15 to 30 job seekers each, according to Hannah Flath, a spokesperson for IEC.
—Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2025
Fisher, who keeps a pulse on networking trends, has seen the youngest working cohort find creative, lower-pressure ways to connect.
—Mark C. Perna, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
One large cohort study of over 82,000 men noted that legume intake is associated with a moderate reduction in prostate cancer risk.
—Brittany Poulson, People.com, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cohort
Cite this Entry
“Cohort.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cohort. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cohort
noun
Medical Definition
cohort
noun
R. R. Suskind et al.
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