# guild

/ˈɡɪɫd/ (US) · /ɡˈɪld/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/guild
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. medieval trade group

noun · CEFR B2

an organization of people in the same craft or trade, especially in the Middle Ages, who helped each other and set standards.

For teachers: an association of artisans or merchants who control the practice of their craft in a particular town. Historically, these groups provided mutual aid and regulated quality and prices.

- In the 14th century, the weavers' guild controlled the price and quality of cloth in the city.
- Membership in the merchant guild was mandatory for anyone wishing to trade within the city walls during the late medieval period.

### 2. online gaming group

noun · CEFR B1 · Informal

a group of players in an online game who play together regularly and help each other.

For teachers: an organized collective of players in a multiplayer online game who cooperate to achieve shared objectives or share resources.

- I joined a powerful guild to help me finish the most difficult levels of the game.
- The guild leader coordinated a massive raid involving forty players, requiring precise timing and communication over voice chat.

### 3. ecological group

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a group of different animals or plants that live in the same way or use the same food.

For teachers: a group of species that exploit the same class of environmental resources in a similar way. This classification is based on functional roles rather than taxonomic relationships.

- Birds that eat nectar from flowers belong to the same ecological guild.
- The study examined the foraging guild of insectivorous bats to determine how habitat loss affected their collective hunting patterns.

### 4. professional association

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

a modern group of people with the same job, like actors or writers, who protect their rights.

For teachers: a modern professional association or union, often used in the arts and media sectors to negotiate collective bargaining agreements.

- The Screen Actors Guild negotiated a new contract for better pay and working conditions.
- The writers' guild called for a strike after negotiations with the major studios failed to address concerns regarding digital royalties.

## Examples

- Woodpeckers and nuthatches belong to the same foraging guild.
- Ecologists study the insect-eating guild to understand how different bird species share the limited food supply in the forest.
- By analyzing the nectar-feeding guild, researchers can determine how competition for floral resources influences the evolutionary traits of both the pollinators and the plants they frequent.

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