cohesion

noun

co·he·sion | \ kō-ˈhē-zhən

Definition of cohesion

1 : the act or state of sticking together tightly especially : unity 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

Other Words from cohesion Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about cohesion

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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

Researcher Samuel Ramani argued that Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities last month were motivated primarily by the Houthis’ desire to demonstrate internal cohesion and to gain popular support — rather than to serve Tehran’s interests. — Washington Post, "Iran has invested in allies and proxies across the Middle East. Here’s why they matter now.," 19 June 2019 Rural communities especially are less vibrant as a result, and there’s a sense of defeat that breeds dissatisfaction with the German government’s cohesion efforts. — Leonid Bershidsky, Twin Cities, "Leonid Bershidsky: Depopulation Is Eastern Germany’s curse," 18 June 2019 Lister’s prescient insistence on a cohesion between her public and private personas — an insistence on her sexuality as a vital component of her identity — was remarkable. — Jeanna Kadlec, Longreads, "The 19th Century Lesbian Made for 21st Century Consumption," 7 June 2019 Coach Steve Kerr, who praised his team’s effort, used an NBA playoffs record 10th different starting lineup but no combination of players found any rhythm on offense or any cohesion on defense. — Jeff Faraudo, The Mercury News, "Steph plenty strong, but no other strength found in these numbers," 6 June 2019 Especially since 2016, dissent has been suppressed, the rule of law has deteriorated, and a human rights crisis has escalated; meanwhile, opposition to Erdoğan’s rule has gained cohesion. — The New York Review of Books, "Kaya Genç," 28 June 2018 What strikes the reader is not so much the cohesion of unified belief communities as the development of divisions within each: orthodoxy versus revisionism, fundamentalism versus liberalism, God’s singularity versus his plurality. — Andrew Stark, WSJ, "‘Living With the Gods’ Review: The Gang’s All Here," 16 Nov. 2018 Even among the feuding factions within the Afghan delegation, there has been remarkable cohesion over the latest peace overture. — Rod Nordland And Mujib Mashal, New York Times, "Taliban’s Rare Silence on Talks Charges Up a New Peace Conference," 27 Mar. 2018 Many have proposed that the value of moral behavior in encouraging group cohesion must have outweighed the reproductive interests of individuals. — John Hawks, WSJ, "‘The Goodness Paradox’ Review: The Benefits of Good Breeding," 25 Jan. 2019

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