Definition

Noun: 1. A formal procession, especially for a funeral: A line of people or vehicles moving in a slow, formal, and orderly manner as part of a ceremony, most commonly associated with a funeral. 2. A group of attendants accompanying an important person; a retinue: The collective body of assistants, followers, or companions who travel with and serve a dignitary, such as a monarch or head of state.

Usage Examples

• As a funeral procession:
  • The funeral cortege moved slowly through the quiet streets of the village.
  • A long cortege of black cars followed the hearse to the cemetery.
• As a retinue:
  • The president arrived with a large cortege of advisors and security personnel.
  • The royal cortege, including ladies-in-waiting and guards, accompanied the queen on her tour.

Advanced Usage

• The word often implies a sense of solemnity, ceremony, and formal order.
• It can be used metaphorically to describe any group that follows in a slow, orderly, and perhaps inevitable manner.
  • A cortege of fans followed the band's tour bus across the country.

Variants and Related Words

• Cortège: An alternative spelling, often used to retain the French accent.
• Procession (n): A more general term for a number of people or vehicles moving forward in an orderly fashion.
• Retinue (n): A group of advisers, assistants, or others accompanying an important person. (This is a close synonym for the second meaning).
• Entourage (n): A group of people attending or surrounding an important person. (This is a more modern and less formal synonym for "retinue").

Synonyms

• Funeral procession (for meaning 1)
• Retinue
• Entourage
• Escort
• Train (as in a retinue)

Related Phrases

• In cortege: Forming part of or moving as a cortege.
  • The dignitaries walked in cortege behind the casket.

Noun

1. the group following and attending to some important person
2. a funeral procession