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 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

co·alesce

intransitive verb \ˌkō-ə-ˈles\   (Medical Dictionary)

co·alesced; co·alesc·ing

Medical Definition of COALESCE

: to grow together

—co·ales·cence \-ˈles-^ən(t)s\ (audio pronunciation) noun