conglomerate
adjective
-ˈglä-mə-\
Definition of conglomerate
(Entry 1 of 3)
: made up of parts from various sources or of various kinds the conglomerate peoples of New England a conglomerate empire
conglomerate
verb
\
Definition of conglomerate (Entry 2 of 3)
: to gather into a mass or coherent whole Infinite numbers of dull people conglomerated round her …— Virginia Woolf
conglomerate
noun
-ˈglä-mə-\
Definition of conglomerate (Entry 3 of 3)
1 : a composite mass or mixture especially : rock composed of rounded fragments varying from small pebbles to large boulders in a cement (as of hardened clay)
2 : a widely diversified corporation an international conglomerate of some 350 businesses
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from conglomerate
Verb
-ˈglä-mə-;
-mə-ˌrā-
\
adjective
\
noun
Noun
ˌkän-
\
adjective
Synonyms & Antonyms for conglomerate
Synonyms: Verb
assemble, cluster, collect, concentrate, congregate, convene, converge, forgather (or foregather), gather, meet, rendezvous
Synonyms: Noun
Antonyms: Verb
break up, disband, disperse, split (up)
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of conglomerate in a Sentence
Verb
people conglomerated in the downtown streets for an impromptu victory celebration over the years the town's discarded junk conglomerated at the bottom of the riverNoun
a news and entertainment conglomerate Our small company must compete with the big conglomerates.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
In a shareholder vote over competing slates of directors, Elliott narrowly edged out French media conglomerate Vivendi . — Eric Sylvers, WSJ, "Elliott Scores a Victory in Telecom Italia Fight," 4 May 2018 Telecom Italia, whose biggest shareholder is French media conglomerate Vivendi SA, is planning to set aside about 700 million euros ($834 million) to pay for the early retirements and voluntary buyouts, one of the people said. — Bloomberg.com, "Bloomberg," 9 Jan. 2018 Elliott has set up a showdown with Telecom Italia’s largest shareholder, the French media conglomerate Vivendi SA, which owns 24 percent. — Daniele Lepido, Bloomberg.com, "Elliott Said to Back Ferrari-Like Spinoff for Telecom Italia," 21 Mar. 2018 French media conglomerate Vivendi SA, Telecom Italia’s largest shareholder with a 24 percent stake, increased its influence over the Italian phone company last year. — Bloomberg.com, "Bloomberg," 8 Jan. 2018 Erik Hellum has also been appointed as COO of the radio and media conglomerate’s local media. — Billboard, "Executive Turntable: Hires at Def Jam, Plus Moves at Warner Music Group, Townsquare & More," 21 Oct. 2017 For the better part of the past two years, the company has had to deal with a looming takeover threat from French media conglomerate Vivendi, which has slowly been buying shares of the game publisher. — Chris Morris, Fortune, "Ubisoft’s CEO Isn’t Playing Games," 23 Aug. 2017Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The bride’s father is the vice president of investor relations and the treasurer of Textron, a global aerospace and defense technologies conglomerate in Providence, R.I. — New York Times, "Emily Salander, Felipe Maciá," 8 July 2018 For SoftBank, a deal would help the Japanese conglomerate put more money to work from its Vision Fund, which is backed largely by Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi sovereign-wealth funds, as well as money from SoftBank. — Eliot Brown, WSJ, "WeWork in Talks With SoftBank to Double Valuation to as Much as $40 Billion," 13 June 2018 Some media had reported that Singapore Air (singy, -2.66%), Qatar Airways and conglomerate Tata Group were potential bidders, but in the end none showed up. — Fortune, "A Funny Thing Happened When India Put Its National Airline Up for Sale: No One Put in a Bid," 1 June 2018 The company has reached a tentative deal to sell its Nine West and Bandolino footwear and handbag business to conglomerate Authentic Brands Group, which controls the brands of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali and others. — Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY, "Nine West files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection," 6 Apr. 2018 Now SoftBank, a Japanese conglomerate best known in the United States for its ownership of Sprint, is looking to muscle in on this lucrative business. — Landon Thomas Jr., New York Times, "SoftBank Looks to Invade Wall Street’s Turf," 11 Mar. 2018 There are just three major makers of DRAM: Korea conglomerates Samsung and SK Hynix, and Micron, a stand-alone company and the smallest of the three. — David Staats, idahostatesman, "Prosecutors say Micron workers in Taiwan stole tech secrets | Idaho Statesman," 8 Dec. 2017 Within that arena, Remy hopes to position Atlas brands as a bastion of independence within an ever-conglomerating industry. — Esther Mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, "Atlas Wine Co. wants to revolutionize grocery store wine," 3 Nov. 2017 Immediate recognition is the reason conglomerates overwhelmingly choose pre-existing fashion labels as vehicles for young talent instead of backing new ventures. — Alexander Fury, New York Times, "In Fashion, the Beauty (and Challenge) of Looking Back," 18 Sep. 2017Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Leon rejected the government’s argument that the phone and pay-TV giant’s $81 billion takeover of the entertainment conglomerate would hurt competition, limit choices and jack up prices for consumers to stream TV and movies. — Marcy Gordon, BostonGlobe.com, "Department of Justice appeals ruling that allowed AT&T-Time Warner merger," 12 July 2018 Leon rejected the government's argument that the phone and pay-TV giant's $81 billion takeover of the entertainment conglomerate would hurt competition, limit choices and jack up prices for consumers to stream TV and movies. — Marcy Gordon, chicagotribune.com, "Justice Department appealing judge's OK of AT&T-Time Warner merger," 12 July 2018 His mother was once the mayor of Milan, his father the scion of a petrochemical conglomerate based in Sardinia. — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "Redemption Takes on Rock 'n' Roll at Its Parisian Couture Show," 9 July 2018 Once the most valuable company in the world, GE has gone the way of other conglomerates in the last decade, spinning off parts of its business, including appliances. — Grace Schneider, The Courier-Journal, "General Electric's downward spiral continues to slam retirees," 29 June 2018 Golden evening sun reflected off an artificial lake outside the cathedral-like headquarters of the Mondadori publishing conglomerate designed by the Brazilian modernist Oscar Niemeyer — and used for the first time as the backdrop for a fashion show. — New York Times, "Staying in the (Fashion) Moment," 27 June 2018 Abiy took office three months after Hailemariam appointed Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen as chairman of the military-industrial conglomerate Metals & Engineering Corp. — Bloomberg.com, "The Challenge for Ethiopia's New Leader: Unleash the Economy," 1 May 2018 In Colombia three conglomerates have almost 60% of the print, radio and internet audience. — The Economist, "Latin America’s new media are growing up," 14 July 2018 Several large Turkish conglomerates have already run into financial difficulties. — David Gauthier-villars, WSJ, "New Turkish Finance Minister Vows to Fight Inflation," 13 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conglomerate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for conglomerate
conglomerate
nounFinancial Definition of conglomerate
What It Is
A conglomerate is a corporation made up of several smaller, independently-run companies which may operate across several sectors and industries.
How It Works
Conglomerates are generally formed for two reasons: to diversify risk by participating in unrelated businesses or to expand a business within an industry to include suppliers and product purchasers.
Despite the possible benefits, conglomerates face the challenge of becoming so large that they are difficult to manage efficiently. This can lead to a lack of focus, which exacerbates managerial problems and reduces shareholder returns. This reason is why conglomerates often "spin off" subsidiaries into stand-alone entities. Corporations may also fail to realize the anticipated cost savings associated with acquisitions.
Why It Matters
The motto "the parts are worth more than the whole" is the idea behind conglomerates. They are typically very diversified businesses (although some conglomerates stick to one or two industries). This diversification and the efficiencies brought about by shared or reduced costs often make conglomerates less risky than those operating in a single market or niche. Many well-run conglomerates like Berkshire Hathaway and General Electric are much like funds in that they offer diversification and are less sensitive to general business cycles than more focused companies.
Source: Investing Answers
conglomerate
noun
English Language Learners Definition of conglomerate
: a large business that is made of different kinds of companies
: a kind of rock that is made from many stones of different sizes held together with hardened clay
See the full definition for conglomerate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
conglomerate
noun
\
Kids Definition of conglomerate
1 : a mass (as a rock) formed of fragments from various sources
2 : a corporation engaging in many different kinds of business
Keep scrolling for more
conglomerate
adjective
\
Medical Definition of conglomerate
(Entry 1 of 3)
: made up of parts from various sources or of various kinds
conglomerate
verb
\
Medical Definition of conglomerate (Entry 2 of 3)
: to gather (something) into a mass or coherent whole
: to gather into a mass or coherent whole
Other Words from conglomerate
\
adjective
conglomerate
noun
\
Medical Definition of conglomerate (Entry 3 of 3)
: a composite mass or mixture
conglomerate
noun
\
Legal Definition of conglomerate
: a widely diversified company especially : a corporation that acquires other companies whose activities are unrelated to the corporation's primary activity
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on conglomerate
What made you want to look up conglomerate? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Words from Greek and Roman Mythology Quiz
-
- Boreal comes from the name of the ancient Greek god of which wind?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Words from Greek and Roman Mythology Quiz
A mythological/etymological mashup!
Take the quiz -
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
Words to improve your Scrabble game
Take the quiz -
True or False?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
Take the quiz -
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Play the game
Share conglomerate
Resources for conglomerate