cohere

verb co·here \ kō-ˈhir \

Updated on: 21 May 2018

Definition of cohere

cohered; cohering

intransitive verb

1 a : to hold together firmly as parts of the same mass; broadly : stick, adhere

b : to display cohesion of plant parts

2 : to hold together as a mass of parts that cohere

3 a : to become united in principles, relationships, or interests

b : to be logically or aesthetically consistent

transitive verb

: to cause (parts or components) to cohere

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Examples of cohere in a Sentence

the account in his journal coheres with the official report of the battle
beset by personal animosities, the people of the neighborhood could not cohere into an effective civic association

Recent Examples of cohere from the Web

But the thin storyline takes a back seat to the rich language on display; like many a jazz composition, Paradise Blue doesn't cohere very well, but there are some dazzling solos.

— frank scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Paradise Blue': Theater Review," 15 May 2018
Once in a while, a certain cognitive fog clears and the obvious finally coheres for the dope who should’ve caught on sooner.

— katie arnold-ratliff, The Cut, "The Engagement Ring I Was Going to Buy Anyway," 10 Apr. 2018
Taken as a whole, however, the reading was ill-balanced and failed to cohere.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Review: John Malkovich's wan narration disappoints in CSO reading of 'Lincoln Portrait'," 13 Apr. 2018
The result coheres into a pleasing whole piece of theater that never succumbs to the gimmick of its structure.

— theodore p. mahne, NOLA.com, "'Stranger Disease' vividly brings history to life at Madame John's Legacy," 26 Mar. 2018
As performed by four strong dancers, a vivid succession of scenes emerge that indicate emotional possibility but then do not develop or cohere.

— irene hsiao, Chicago Reader, "Lie Through My Skin attempts to confront the shame of white privilege," 21 Mar. 2018
There are overlaps among their stories — three or four are patients of the Angolan eye doctor and many of them seem to inhabit the same old-age home or haunt the same cemetery — so the novel does begin to cohere as the stories accumulate.

— wendy lesser, New York Times, "A Capital City, Still Haunted by Its Past," 26 Jan. 2018
The vast estuaries where abstraction and representation blend, where art-star status and starving-artist street cred commingle, meld and cohere in the show's etudes on charcoal hues, obsidian, tar, gunmetal, fog and silver.

— special to the oregonian, OregonLive.com, "Many shades of gray define new exhibit at Elizabeth Leach Gallery," 7 Jan. 2018
As a result of these varied imprints, the greatest challenge for director Augustin Correro is to bridle all that youthful passion into a vision that coheres as both persuasive social commentary and believable storytelling.

— theodore p. mahne, NOLA.com, "Early Williams' 'Not About Nightingales' a brutal work, difficult to sustain," 8 Dec. 2017

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

cohere vs Adhere

When you finish writing a paper, you may feel that it coheres well, since it's sharply focused and all the ideas seem to support each other. When all the soldiers in an army platoon feel like buddies, the platoon has become a cohesive unit. In science class you may learn the difference between cohesion (the tendency of a chemical's molecules to stick together) and adhesion (the tendency of the molecules of two different substances to stick together). Water molecules tend to cohere, so water falls from the sky in drops, not as separate molecules. But water molecules also adhere to molecules of other substances, so raindrops will often cling to the underside of a clothesline for a while before gravity pulls them down.

Origin and Etymology of cohere

borrowed from Latin cohaerēre "to stick together, be in contact with, be connected," from co- co- + haerēre "to be closely attached, stick," going back to a stem *hais-, of obscure origin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1598

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

cohere Synonyms

Phrases

close ranks, pull together;

Synonym Discussion of cohere

stick, adhere, cohere, cling, cleave mean to become closely attached. stick implies attachment by affixing or by being glued together.

- couldn't get the label to stick

adhere is often interchangeable with stick but sometimes implies a growing together.

- antibodies adhering to a virus

cohere suggests a sticking together of parts so that they form a unified mass.

- eggs will make the mixture cohere

cling implies attachment by hanging on with arms or tendrils.

- clinging to a capsized boat

cleave stresses strength of attachment.

- the wet shirt cleaved to his back

COHERE Defined for English Language Learners

cohere

verb

Definition of cohere for English Language Learners

: to be combined or united in a logical and effective way

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cohere

Definition of cohere

Examples of cohere in a Sentence

Recent Examples of cohere from the Web

cohere vs Adhere

Origin and Etymology of cohere

cohere Synonyms

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Synonym Discussion of cohere

COHERE Defined for English Language Learners

cohere

Definition of cohere for English Language Learners

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