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

3 : independent development of similar characters (as of bodily structure of unrelated organisms or cultural traits) often associated with similarity of habits or environment

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

Other Words from convergence Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about convergence

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Synonyms & Antonyms for convergence

Synonyms

confluence, conjunction, convergency, meeting

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

Anyone with any political sense knows that this convergence of dates makes 2019 the year to keep quiet. — Ian Johnson, The New York Review of Books, "China’s ‘Black Week-end’," 17 June 2019 Their lives are a coiled convergence of personal problems, rising rents and stagnating wages, and little opportunity for housing in metro areas, of minimum wages rising in cities where people who need those wages can’t afford to find a home anyway. — John Gastaldo, National Geographic, "Navigating the booming cost of urban life," 12 June 2019 The unplanned convergence came three days after much of the rest of the Democratic field appeared in Iowa for a state party event. — John Wagner, Twin Cities, "Biden delivers scathing address on Trump, and the president fires back," 11 June 2019 The unplanned convergence came three days after much of the rest of the Democratic field appeared in Iowa for a state party event. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "Biden, Trump travel to Iowa, trade insults," 11 June 2019 Its convergence with Beijing has, if anything, illustrated the gravitational force of China’s growing influence. — Laignee Barron / Hong Kong, Time, "How the Tiananmen Square Massacre Changed China Forever," 4 June 2019 Yet the results about fast convergence don’t imply that any individual round of the game is being played at a correlated equilibrium — only that the long-term history of the game is. — Quanta Magazine, "In Game Theory, No Clear Path to Equilibrium," 18 July 2017 The convergence also has to do with one of the most basic human instincts: a desire to fit in. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Baby Have an Accent?," 7 May 2019 The jet stream is currently raging, the Washington Post reports, because of the convergence of abnormally hot air in the southern U.S. with frigid temperatures in the North. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Virgin Flight Reaches 801 MPH as Furious Jet Stream Propels Plane Faster Than Speed of Sound," 19 Feb. 2019

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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Last Updated

6 Jul 2019

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Time Traveler for convergence

The first known use of convergence was in 1713

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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

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