conglomerate

1 of 3

adjective

con·​glom·​er·​ate kən-ˈglä-mə-rət 

-ˈgläm-

: made up of parts from various sources or of various kinds

the conglomerate peoples of New England

a conglomerate empire

conglomerate

2 of 3

verb

con·​glom·​er·​ate kən-ˈglä-mə-ˌrāt 

conglomerated; conglomerating

intransitive verb

: to gather into a mass or coherent whole

Infinite numbers of dull people conglomerated round her …

—Virginia Woolf

transitive verb

: accumulate

conglomerative

kən-ˈgläm-rə-tiv, 

-ˈglä-mə- 

-mə-ˌrā-

adjective

conglomerator

kən-ˈglä-mə-ˌrā-tər 

noun

conglomerate

3 of 3

noun

con·​glom·​er·​ate kən-ˈglä-mə-rət 

-ˈgläm-

1

: a composite mass or mixture

especially : rock composed of rounded fragments varying from small pebbles to large boulders in a cement (as of hardened clay)

2

: a widely diversified corporation

an international conglomerate of some 350 businesses

conglomeratic

kən-ˌglä-mə-ˈra-tik 

ˌkän-

adjective

Synonyms of conglomerate

Verb

• gather
• converge
• meet
• rendezvous
• assemble
• cluster
• get together
• merge

Noun

• empire
• corporation

Examples of conglomerate in a Sentence

Verb

people conglomerated in the downtown streets for an impromptu victory celebration

over the years the town's discarded junk conglomerated at the bottom of the river

Noun

a news and entertainment conglomerate

Our small company must compete with the big conglomerates.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Her approach combines catalog ownership, touring, streaming, and direct sales, creating a conglomerate effect with herself as the charismatic CEO and her superfans as loyal, repeat customers. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025

Sports franchises are increasingly conglomerate in nature and often include multiple sports teams, a stadium or arena, ancillary property development, sports adjacent businesses, and more. — Chris Deubert, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025

Verb

Unilever’s decision to combine its food business with McCormick & Company while spinning off its ice cream division reflects a broader shift toward portfolio clarity rather than conglomerate complexity. — Louis Biscotti, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2026

The quickly conglomerating media industry led Henson to consider corporate partnerships to assist with his goal of further expanding the Muppet media universe. — Jared Bahir Browsh, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026

Noun

The final arc follows Ratan Naval Tata’s expansion of the conglomerate onto the global stage, including the growth of Titan. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 July 2026

Aerospace was the crown jewel inside Honeywell and the primary reason many investors owned shares in the conglomerate. — Jeff Marks,morgan Chittum, CNBC, 6 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin conglomeratus, past participle of conglomerare to roll together, from com- + glomerare to wind into a ball, from glomer-, glomus ball — more at clam

First Known Use

Adjective

1572, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1642, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

conglomerate

1 of 3 adjective

con·​glom·​er·​ate kən-ˈgläm-(ə-)rət 

: made up of parts from various sources or of various kinds

conglomerate

2 of 3 verb

con·​glom·​er·​ate kən-ˈgläm-ə-ˌrāt 

conglomerated; conglomerating

: to collect or form into a mass

conglomeration

-ˌgläm-ə-ˈrā-shən, 

kän-

noun

conglomerate

3 of 3 noun

con·​glom·​er·​ate kən-ˈgläm-(ə-)rət 

1

: a composite mass or mixture

especially : rock made up of rounded pieces varying from small pebbles to large boulders in a cement (as of hardened clay)

2

: a corporation engaging in many different kinds of business

Medical Definition

conglomerate

1 of 3 adjective

con·​glom·​er·​ate kən-ˈgläm-(ə-)rət 

: made up of parts from various sources or of various kinds

conglomerate

2 of 3 verb

con·​glom·​er·​ate -ə-ˌrāt 

conglomerated; conglomerating

transitive verb

: to gather (something) into a mass or coherent whole

intransitive verb

: to gather into a mass or coherent whole

conglomerative

-ˈgläm-(ə-)rət-iv, -ə-ˌrāt- 

adjective

conglomerate

3 of 3 noun

con·​glom·​er·​ate -(ə-)rət 

: a composite mass or mixture

Legal Definition

conglomerate

noun

con·​glom·​er·​ate kən-ˈglä-mə-rət 

: a widely diversified company

especially : a corporation that acquires other companies whose activities are unrelated to the corporation's primary activity