ally
ally — 名詞
1. a nation that has formally promised to fight alongside or back up another nation
盟邦；同盟國
與他國結盟、共同作戰的國家
a nation that has formally promised to fight alongside or back up another nation, most often in wartime or against a shared enemy.
Britain and France were close allies during the Second World War.
英國和法國在第二次世界大戰期間是親密的盟邦。
ally + during [conflict]
Japan signed a treaty making it a key ally of the United States.
日本簽訂條約，成為美國的重要盟邦。
ally of [country]
President Biden flew to Berlin to reassure nervous European allies after the missile strike.
飛彈攻擊後，拜登總統飛往柏林安撫不安的歐洲盟國。
Canada has been a loyal ally to Britain in two world wars.
加拿大在兩次世界大戰中都是英國忠實的同盟國。
Without strong allies like Germany, Estonia could not defend its long eastern border.
若沒有德國這樣的強大盟邦，愛沙尼亞無法守住漫長的東部國境。
- partner
broader; covers economic and trade ties, not only military
- confederate
formal/historical; suggests joining for a specific cause
文法句型
ally of [country]
ally in [war/conflict]
用法筆記
Subject is a country, government, or military bloc; collocates with treaty, war, alliance, NATO. Distinguish from sense 2 (any individual supporter) by checking whether the supporter is a sovereign state.
常見錯誤
2. a person, group, or organisation that personally stands beside you in a specific
盟友；夥伴
在抗爭或工作中支持你的人
a person, group, or organisation that personally stands beside you in a specific dispute or campaign — for example, a colleague who defends your idea in a meeting, or a friend who takes your side in a family argument.
Nia found an unexpected ally in her grandmother during the family argument.
在家族爭執中，瑪雅意外地在祖母身上找到了一個盟友。
find an ally in [person]
The senator counted the union leaders among her closest political allies.
這位參議員把工會領袖視為自己最親密的政治盟友。
political allies (collocation)
Beatriz needed a strong ally at work to push the new safety rules through.
卡洛斯需要一個有力的盟友才能在公司推動新的安全規定。
Mrs. Park found a powerful ally in the city councillor who blocked the factory permit.
朴太太在阻擋工廠許可的市議員身上找到了一位有力的盟友。
The young lawyer had few allies inside the company when she reported the fraud.
這位年輕律師檢舉舞弊時，公司裡幾乎沒有盟友。
文法句型
ally in [struggle/effort]
find an ally in [person]
用法筆記
Often appears with 'in' to name the cause or struggle (an ally in this fight). Frequently used in plural for a group of supporters around a leader. Distinguish from sense 1 by checking whether the supporter is a person or organisation rather than a country.
常見錯誤
3. someone outside a particular community who actively backs its members — for exam
外部盟友
從群體外挺身為弱勢族群發聲的人
someone outside a particular community who actively backs its members — for example, a straight person speaking up for LGBTQ rights — so that the group can win equal treatment and respect.
Many white teachers have become vocal allies of their Black students this year.
今年很多白人老師成了公開為黑人學生發聲的外部盟友。
ally of [marginalised group]
Ilya wears a rainbow pin to show he is an ally to LGBTQ classmates.
馬可仕在學校別上彩虹徽章，表明自己是 LGBTQ 同學的盟友。
ally to [group]
Olu proved a true ally when she challenged her boss's racist joke at the staff meeting.
在員工會議上，莎拉勇敢反駁主管帶有種族歧視的笑話，證明自己是真正的外部盟友。
The company trained its managers to act as allies for women returning from maternity leave.
公司訓練主管成為外部盟友，協助產假返職的女性員工。
文法句型
ally to [group]
be an ally for [cause]
用法筆記
Common in social justice and workplace inclusion contexts. The ally is by definition outside the group they support — a Black person is not 'an ally' to Black colleagues but a member of the group. Often paired with verbs like 'be', 'become', 'show up as'.
常見錯誤
ally — 動詞
1. to deliberately link yourself or your group to another, so that you act together
結盟；聯手
主動站在某方一起，共同行動
to deliberately link yourself or your group to another, so that you act together — usually by signing an agreement, taking a public side, or marrying into a family.
The young queen allied herself with the powerful Spanish royal family through marriage.
年輕的女王透過聯姻，與強大的西班牙王室結盟。
ally yourself with [group]
Several smaller parties allied themselves to the Greens before the election.
數個小黨在選舉前與綠黨聯手。
reflexive: ally yourself to [cause]
By signing the pact, the prime minister allied his country with three Asian neighbours.
首相簽下協議後，便讓他的國家與三個亞洲鄰國結盟。
Critics warned the senator not to ally herself too closely with the oil industry.
批評者警告這位參議員不要太過靠攏石油業者。
- oppose
take the other side
- distance (yourself)
publicly break the link
文法句型
ally yourself with [person/group]
ally yourself to [cause]
用法筆記
Almost always reflexive in modern use ('ally yourself with…'). The non-reflexive transitive form ('ally his country with…') is mostly historical or formal political writing. Distinguish from sense 2 by checking for a direct object (yourself / a country / a group).
常見錯誤
2. (of countries, parties, or groups) to come together as partners, usually by sign
結盟；聯合
團體間以條約或公開合作建立同盟
(of countries, parties, or groups) to come together as partners, usually by signing a treaty or making a public deal to support each other.
Britain and France allied against Germany at the start of the war.
戰爭一開始，英國便與法國聯合對抗德國。
ally against [enemy]
Several small island nations allied with Australia to fight climate change.
數個小型島國與澳洲結盟，共同對抗氣候變遷。
ally with [partner]
Labour and the Greens allied with student unions to block the new tuition law.
工黨與綠黨同學生會結盟，共同阻擋新的學費法案。
The Kurdish militias allied with American forces against ISIS in northern Syria.
庫德族民兵與美軍結盟，在敘利亞北部對抗伊斯蘭國。
- unite
stronger; suggests becoming one body, not just cooperating
- join forces
more informal; everyday equivalent in journalism
文法句型
ally with [country/group]
ally against [enemy]
用法筆記
Subject is normally a country, party, or organised group rather than a single person. Frequently passive in news reporting ('be allied with'). Distinguish from sense 1 by the absence of a reflexive object — here the subject acts together with the partner directly.