consolidate

verb

con·​sol·​i·​date kən-ˈsä-lə-ˌdāt 

consolidated; consolidating

transitive verb

1

: to join together into one whole : unite

consolidate several small school districts

2

: to make firm or secure : strengthen

consolidate their hold on first place

He consolidated his position as head of the political party.

3

: to form into a compact mass

The press consolidates the fibers into board.

intransitive verb

: to become consolidated

specifically : merge

The two companies consolidated.

consolidator

kən-ˈsä-lə-ˌdā-tər 

noun

Synonyms of consolidate

• concentrate
• integrate
• merge
• unite
• combine
• centralize
• unify

Examples of consolidate in a Sentence

The two funds will consolidate into one.

The administration hopes that such measures will consolidate its position.

Rebel forces have consolidated their hold on the region.

Recent Examples on the Web

Git Clear’s analysis found 211 million lines of code refactoring, the deliberate work of simplifying and consolidating code, fell from 25% of all changes to under 10% between 2021 and 2024, the same stretch AI coding tools went mainstream. — Muhammad Muzammil Rawjani, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Critics dismissed the elections, which were held in December and January, as a sham designed to consolidate the military’s grip on power while ostensibly restoring civilian rule. — ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026

Those complaints, alleging improper handling of remains, have since been consolidated. — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026

Under that system, voters have several votes that can be divided among all open seats or consolidated in support of particular candidates. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin consolidatus, past participle of consolidare to make solid, from com- + solidus solid

First Known Use

circa 1512, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for consolidate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

consolidate

verb

con·​sol·​i·​date kən-ˈsäl-ə-ˌdāt 

consolidated; consolidating

1

: to join together into one whole : unite

2

: to make firm or safe : strengthen

consolidate a beachhead

consolidation

kən-ˌsäl-ə-ˈdā-shən

noun

Legal Definition

consolidate

transitive verb

con·​sol·​i·​date kən-ˈsä-lə-ˌdāt 

consolidated; consolidating

: to join together into one whole: as

a

: to combine (two or more lawsuits or matters that involve a common question of law or fact) into one compare class action

Note: Consolidation of matters in the federal courts is governed by Rule 42 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Consolidated cases may become one single action with a single judgment, or may retain their individual identities although tried together. The court may also try one representative case and render a judgment binding on the other cases.

b

: to combine (two or more corporations) to form one new corporation compare merger

consolidation

kən-ˌsä-lə-ˈdā-shən 

noun