convergence

noun

con·ver·gence | \ kən-ˈvər-jən(t)s

Definition of convergence

1 : the act of converging and especially moving toward union or uniformity the convergence of the three rivers especially : coordinated movement of the two eyes so that the image of a single point is formed on corresponding retinal areas

2 : the state or property of being convergent

3a evolutionary biology : independent development of similar traits or features (as of body structure or behavior) in unrelated or distantly related species or lineages : convergent evolution The second mechanism, also well established, is convergence—in which separate organisms, such as birds and bats, independently develop a similar trait or behavior (wings, say) even though they did not inherit that structure from a common ancestor.— Ann Gibbons

b : the independent development of similarities between separate cultures Indo-Europeanists often find it difficult to know whether they have to deal with cultural characteristics that have been borrowed or inherited, or are the product merely of a convergence …— Boris Oguibénine

4 : the merging of distinct technologies, industries, or devices into a unified whole … offers a variety of services related to the convergence of the Internet and mobile phones.— Rob Walker

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing convergence Learn More About convergence

Synonyms & Antonyms for convergence

Synonyms

Antonyms

divergence

Examples of convergence in a Sentence

the convergence of the city's major arteries on a single rotary

Recent Examples on the Web The deinstitutionalization of people with major mental illness resulted from an unusual convergence of left-wing and right-wing political critiques, as Mr. Scull emphasizes. — Richard J. Mcnally, WSJ, 13 May 2022 As the city’s longest-running open mic, the Tuesday night show at Lefty’s has been the bedrock of the DSM scene, a weekly convergence of the rowdy and sincere. — Lee Keeler, SPIN, 10 May 2022 The Republicans plotting with Trump and the rioters who attacked the Capitol were aligned in their goals, if not the mob’s violent tactics, creating a convergence that nearly upended the nation’s peaceful transfer of power. — Farnoush Amiri, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2022 The Republicans plotting with Trump and the rioters who attacked the Capitol were aligned in their goals, if not the mob's violent tactics, creating a convergence that nearly upended the nation's peaceful transfer of power. — Farnoush Amiri, ajc, 1 May 2022 That coincidental, but revealing, convergence of legal and demographic change captures the core conflict that Ketanji Brown Jackson, the incoming Supreme Court justice the Senate confirmed last week, will both inherit and sharpen. — Ronald Brownstein, CNN, 12 Apr. 2022 And the indicators tend to be based on moving averages of price, including the MACD moving average convergence, divergence and the moving averages are basically look backs using historical prices. — Steven Ehrlich, Forbes, 2 May 2022 Officials and experts fear that the rare convergence next month of Ramadan, Passover and Easter, which can easily heighten tensions, may fuel further violence. — New York Times, 25 Mar. 2022 Sports and crypto offer an especially neat convergence, between the primarily young men on the field and the primarily young men playing the crypto game. — Washington Post, 11 Feb. 2022 See More

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

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Dictionary Entries Near convergence

converge

convergence

convergency

Statistics for convergence

Last Updated

19 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Convergence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convergence. Accessed 28 May. 2022.

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More Definitions for convergence

convergence

noun

con·ver·gence | \ kən-ˈvər-jən(t)s

Medical Definition of convergence

1 : an embryonic movement that involves streaming of material from the dorsal and lateral surfaces of the gastrula toward the blastopore and concurrent shifting of lateral materials toward the middorsal line and that is a process fundamental to the establishment of the germ layers

2 : independent development of similar characters (as of body structure in whales and fishes) by animals or plants of different groups that is often associated with similarity of habits or environment

3 : movement of the two eyes so coordinated that the images of a single point fall on corresponding points of the two retinas

4 : overlapping synaptic innervation of a single cell by more than one nerve fiber — compare divergence sense 2

Other Words from convergence

converge \ -ˈvərj

\ verb converged; converging

convergent \ -ˈvər-jənt

\ adjective