coincide

verb co·in·cide \ ˌkō-ən-ˈsīd , ˈkō-ən-ˌsīd \

Updated on: 7 Apr 2018

Definition of coincide

coincided; coinciding

intransitive verb

1 a : to occupy the same place in space or time

The base of the triangle coincides with one side of the square.

The heroic age of bridge construction coincided with the expansion of the railroads …
—Mario Salvadori

b : to occupy exactly corresponding or equivalent positions on a scale or in a series

100° Celsius coincides with 212° Fahrenheit.

2 : to correspond in nature, character, or function

" … our sentiments coincided in every particular … "
—Jane Austen

3 : to be in accord or agreement : concur

She coincided with his views on most subjects.

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Examples of coincide in a Sentence

The goals of the business partners coincide.
the heaviest snowfall of the season coincided with the start of our weeklong ski vacation

Recent Examples of coincide from the Web

The Post noted that the surge in bites coincided with the growth of home deliver of online purchases, exposing carriers more often to household pets.

— bruce henderson, charlotteobserver, "'My dog won't bite.' Charlotte mail carriers know different, stats show. | Charlotte Observer," 3 Apr. 2018
His minutes coincided with some big Bucks runs with Antetokounmpo on the bench with Milwaukee going on 16-4 run in the second and 11-3 spurt in the third, both without Antetokounmpo.

— matt velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Bucks 106, Celtics 102: A third-quarter lead holds up," 3 Apr. 2018
These religious holidays both occur in the spring, and Passover even coincides with the Christian observance of Good Friday this year, which is the day it is believed that Jesus died.

— howard ludwig, Daily Southtown, "Passover begins Friday night — 10 things to know," 30 Mar. 2018
This month’s string of nor’easters pounded the coast and flooded roads, particularly when high tides coincided with seas whipped up by the storms.

— elise takahama, BostonGlobe.com, "Coastal flooding on the East Coast is worsening, causing roadways to suffer, report says," 29 Mar. 2018
The offensive dud came on a night in which the Cavaliers had a chance to set a franchise record with their fifth straight game of at least 120 points -- a stretch unsurprisingly coinciding with Love's return.

— dennis manoloff, cleveland.com, "NBA top dunks, other highlights from Tuesday, March 27 (video)," 28 Mar. 2018
The Paper cover and coinciding photos inside, however, indicate that perhaps a different Aguilera era is upon us, and that new music is likely on the way.

— abby gardner, Glamour, "Christina Aguilera Goes Makeup-Free for 'Paper' Magazine," 27 Mar. 2018
The cuts coincided with IBM’s transition to a business centered around cloud services and data analytics.

— chris welch, The Verge, "IBM reportedly targeted older workers in layoffs affecting tens of thousands," 22 Mar. 2018
Steve Spurrier spoiled Gamecocks fans by beating Clemson five times in a row from 2009-13, but South Carolina’s dip coincided with Clemson’s rise as a national power.

— andy staples, SI.com, "Grading Will Muschamp's Tenure and Trajectory at South Carolina," 21 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of coincide

borrowed from Medieval Latin coincidere "to be identical in substance, agree in position," from Latin co- co- + incidere "to fall or drop (into), come by chance, chance to happen" — more at ¹incident

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1719

See Words from the same year

coincide Synonyms

Phrases

see eye to eye;

Synonym Discussion of coincide

agree, concur, coincide mean to come into or be in harmony regarding a matter of opinion. agree implies complete accord usually attained by discussion and adjustment of differences.