coalesce

co·a·lesce

verb \ˌkō-ə-ˈles\

co·a·lescedco·a·lesc·ing

Definition of COALESCE

intransitive verb

1

: to grow together

2

a : 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>

— co·a·les·cence \-ˈle-s^ən(t)s\ noun

— co·a·les·cent \-s^ənt\ adjective

Examples of COALESCE

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

Origin of COALESCE

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

First Known Use: circa 1656

Related to COALESCE

Synonyms: associate, unite, combine, conjoin, conjugate, connect, couple, fuse, interfuse, join, link (up), marry, unify

Antonyms: break up, dissever, part, section, separate, sever, split, sunder, unlink

Related Words: mate, yoke; ally, confederate, league; chain, compound, hitch, hook, splice; assemble, cluster, congregate, constellate, convene, gather, meet; recombine, reconnect, rejoin, reunify, reunite

Near Antonyms: detach, disaffiliate, disconnect, disjoin, disjoint, dissociate, disunite, divide, divorce, fractionate, isolate, resolve, uncouple, unyoke; disband, disperse, scatter

see all synonyms and antonyms

[+]more[-]hide

See Synonym Discussion at mix

Rhymes with COALESCE

ABS, acquiesce, baroness, bitter cress, CBS, convalesce, crown princess, DES, decompress, deliquesce, derepress, dispossess, due process, effervesce, effloresce, evanesce, full-court press, gentilesse, granny dress, in-process, inverness, Inverness, less and less, letterpress, luminesce, Lyonnesse, minidress, more or less, nonetheless, obsolesce, otherguess, overdress, pennycress, phosphoresce, politesse, prepossess, preprocess, recrudesce, repossess, reprocess, retrogress, second-guess, SOS, sweaterdress, underdress, watercress, window-dress, word process