cohesion

noun

co·​he·​sion kō-ˈhē-zhən 

1

: the act or state of sticking together tightly

especially : unity

… the family has evidenced a cohesion and continuity which is unique in the publishing business.

—Richard Dunlop

… the lack of cohesion in the Party.

—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

cohesion among soldiers in a unit

2

: union between similar plant parts or organs

3

: molecular attraction by which the particles of a body are united throughout the mass

cohesionless

kō-ˈhē-zhən-ləs 

adjective

Did you know?

Cohesion is one of the noun forms of cohere; the others are cohesiveness and coherence, each of which has a slightly different meaning. Coherence is often used to describe a person's speech or writing. An incoherent talk or blog post is one that doesn't "hang together;" and if the police pick up someone who they describe as incoherent, it means he or she isn't making sense. But to describe a group or team that always sticks together, you would use cohesive, not coherent. And the words you'd use in Chemistry class to describe the way molecules hang together—for example, the way water forms into beads and drops—are cohesion, cohesive, and cohesiveness.

Examples of cohesion in a Sentence

There was a lack of cohesion in the rebel army.

Recent Examples on the Web

Naturally, that favored Seattle, its cohesion and experience playing its system. —Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 23 Feb. 2026

Wrap your bathroom in a tiled half wall and continue the tile into the shower for cohesion. —Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 20 Feb. 2026

The traditional theatrical chains are vital to our cohesion as a society, and are duly cautious [about AI]. —James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 19 Feb. 2026

According to Vincent, the management is taught to balance compassion with accountability, recognizing that a single underperformer can affect the cohesion of an entire team. —Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin cohaesiōn-, cohaesiō (Medieval Latin, "proximity contact"), from Latin cohaes-, variant stem of cohaerēre "to stick together, cohere" + -iōn-, -iō -ion

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cohesion

• adhesion
• artesian
• cartesian
• elysian
• magnesian
• austronesian
• indonesian
• melanesian
• micronesian
• polynesian
• ferromagnesian
• friesian

Kids Definition

cohesion

noun

co·​he·​sion kō-ˈhē-zhən 

1

: the action or state of sticking together

2

: molecular attraction by which the particles of a body are united throughout the mass

cohesive

kō-ˈhē-siv, 

-ziv

adjective

cohesiveness noun

Medical Definition

cohesion

noun

co·​he·​sion kō-ˈhē-zhən 

1

: the act or process of sticking together tightly

2

: the molecular attraction by which the particles of a body are united throughout the mass compare adhesion sense 3