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

But his idealized vision of a past paradise of social cohesion that late-stage capitalism destroyed doesn’t reckon with the snakes that were always there in this imaginary Eden, including a personal betrayal that’s close to home and only comes slithering out in a moment of drunken weakness. —Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026

The initiative will bring together agents from across the country in what the bureau describes as a structured team-building exercise aimed at reinforcing physical readiness and cohesion across field offices. —Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 22 May 2026

The fallout matters because American power has historically depended not only on military strength or economic leverage, but on the cohesion of the Western alliance and European support of Washington’s foreign policy. —Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026

Connections formed to maintain group cohesion, but also broke apart when necessary to avoid getting stuck. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 May 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
• friesian
• lesion

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