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coalesce

verb
co·​a·​lesce | \ ˌkō-ə-ˈles How to pronounce coalesce (audio) \
coalesced; coalescing

Definition of coalesce

intransitive verb

1 : to grow together The edges of the wound coalesced.
2a : to unite into a whole : fuse separate townships have coalesced into a single, sprawling colony— Donald Gould
b : to unite for a common end : join forces people with different points of view coalesce into opposing factions— I. L. Horowitz
3 : to arise from the combination of distinct elements an organized and a popular resistance immediately coalesced— C. C. Menges

transitive verb

: to cause to unite sometimes a book coalesces a public into a mass market— Walter Meade
Other Words from coalesce Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about coalesce

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Other Words from coalesce

coalescence \ ˌkō-​ə-​ˈle-​sᵊn(t)s How to pronounce coalescence (audio) \ noun
coalescent \ ˌkō-​ə-​ˈle-​sᵊnt How to pronounce coalescent (audio) \ adjective

Choose the Right Synonym for coalesce

mix, mingle, commingle, blend, merge, coalesce, amalgamate, fuse mean to combine into a more or less uniform whole. mix may or may not imply loss of each element's identity. mix the salad greens mix a drink mingle usually suggests that the elements are still somewhat distinguishable or separately active. fear mingled with anticipation in my mind commingle implies a closer or more thorough mingling. a sense of duty commingled with a fierce pride drove her blend implies that the elements as such disappear in the resulting mixture. blended several teas to create a balanced flavor merge suggests a combining in which one or more elements are lost in the whole. in his mind reality and fantasy merged coalesce implies an affinity in the merging elements and usually a resulting organic unity. telling details that coalesce into a striking portrait amalgamate implies the forming of a close union without complete loss of individual identities. refugees who were readily amalgamated into the community fuse stresses oneness and indissolubility of the resulting product. a building in which modernism and classicism are fused

Did You Know?

Coalesce unites the prefix co- ("together") and the Latin verb alescere, meaning "to grow." (The words "adolescent" and "adult" also grew from "alescere.") "Coalesce," which first appeared in English in the mid-17th century, is one of a number of verbs in English (along with "mix," "commingle," "merge," and "amalgamate") that refer to the act of combining parts into a whole. In particular, "coalesce" usually implies the merging of similar parts to form a cohesive unit.

Examples of coalesce in a Sentence

a group of young reformers who gradually coalesced into a political movement The ice masses coalesced into a glacier over time.

Recent Examples on the Web

 The El Paso and Dayton shootings left even the most ardent Republican defenders of gun rights feeling rattled, and the party began coalescing around red flag laws. — New York Times, "Texas Shooting Brings New Urgency to Gun Debate in Congress," 1 Sep. 2019 The book doesn’t just amusingly collect magazine-length anecdotes; it’s in Holland that the most important goals of the book begin to coalesce. — Nathan Deuel, Los Angeles Times, "Review: What a family learned by ditching their smartphone-addicted lives to roam the world," 31 Aug. 2019 The dusty leftovers started to coalesce in some spots, forming larger rocky objects. — Quanta Magazine, "Planets Found to Be Larger Than the Disks They Come From," 4 Oct. 2018 This extreme physical exertion can be one of many things that coalesce to trigger SCAD. — Natasha Lavender, SELF, "Meet SCAD, a Major Cause of Heart Attacks in Women 50 and Under," 22 Aug. 2019 The water percolates down to create under ground water ways as well as water falls and many streams and tributaries that coalesce or combine to form Ghana’s famous three rivers. — Alfred Oteng-yeboah, Quartz Africa, "Ghana’s pact with China for bauxite mining threatens to ravage a biodiverse forest," 21 Aug. 2019 Small moonlets are forming from ring particles that coalesce together. — Vahe Peroomian, The Conversation, "A brief astronomical history of Saturn’s amazing rings," 14 Aug. 2019 An anti-feminist collection of people who described themselves as gamers coalesced around 8chan after they were booted from 4chan, an anonymous online bulletin board. — Chris Morris, Fortune, "What You Need to Know About 8chan, the Controversial Site Tied to the El Paso Shooting," 5 Aug. 2019 As per usual, rumors surrounding the next iPhone are starting to coalesce into a consistent set of expectations. — Dieter Bohn, The Verge, "This year’s iPhone should be the last with Lightning," 24 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coalesce.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of coalesce

circa 1541, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

History and Etymology for coalesce

Latin coalescere, from co- + alescere to grow — more at old

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More Definitions for coalesce

coalesce

verb
How to pronounce coalesce (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of coalesce

formal : to come together to form one group or mass

See the full definition for coalesce in the English Language Learners Dictionary

coalesce

intransitive verb
co·​alesce | \ ˌkō-ə-ˈles How to pronounce coalesce (audio) \

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