coordinate

1 of 3

adjective

co·​or·​di·​nate kō-ˈȯrd-nət 

-ˈȯr-də-nət,

-də-ˌnāt

1

a

: equal in rank, quality, or significance

keeping the branches of government coordinate

b

: being of equal rank in a sentence

coordinate clauses

2

: relating to or marked by coordination

3

a

: being a university that awards degrees to men and women taught usually by the same faculty but attending separate classes often on separate campuses

b

: being one of the colleges and especially the women's branch of a coordinate university

4

: of, relating to, or being a system of indexing by two or more terms so that documents may be retrieved through the intersection of index terms

coordinately adverb

coordinateness noun

coordinate

2 of 3

verb

co·​or·​di·​nate kō-ˈȯr-də-ˌnāt 

coordinated; coordinating

transitive verb

1

: to put in the same order or rank

2

: to bring into a common action, movement, or condition : harmonize

coordinate schedules

She'll be coordinating the relief effort.

3

: to attach so as to form a coordination complex

intransitive verb

1

: to be or become equal in rank, quality, or significance especially so as to act or work together well

2

: to combine by means of a coordinate bond

coordinative

kō-ˈȯrd-nə-tiv 

-ˈȯr-də-nə-tiv

-də-ˌnā-

adjective

coordinate

3 of 3

noun

co·​or·​di·​nate kō-ˈȯrd-nət 

-ˈȯr-də-nət,

-də-ˌnāt

1

a

: any of a set of numbers used in specifying the location of a point on a line, on a surface, or in space

latitude and longitude coordinates

b

: any one of a set of variables used in specifying the state of a substance or the motion of a particle or momentum

2

: one who is of equal rank, authority, or importance with another

3

coordinates plural : articles (as of clothing) designed to be used together and to attain their effect through pleasing contrast (as of color, material, or texture)

Synonyms

Verb

• accommodate
• attune
• conciliate
• conform
• harmonize
• key
• reconcile

Noun

• coequal
• compeer
• counterpart
• equal
• equivalent
• fellow
• like
• match
• parallel
• peer
• rival

Examples of coordinate in a Sentence

Verb

She'll be coordinating the relief effort.

You'll have to coordinate with the sales department.

National and international relief efforts must coordinate if the operation is to be successful.

We need to coordinate our schedules.

Dancers need to coordinate their moves.

Since his illness, he has had trouble coordinating his arms and legs.

Noun

We calculated its exact coordinates.

the Nobel Memorial Award for Economic Science is universally regarded as the coordinate of the original Nobel Prizes for peace, literature, medicine, physics, and chemistry

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The map was an attempt at a compromise between distorting the areas of continents and the angles of coordinate line. —Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 29 Nov. 2022

There exist a number of particularly useful coordinate choices for this space. —Mark Trodden, Discover Magazine, 15 Apr. 2012

Verb

The march was coordinated by Dennis Hayes, who was a student at the time and is now a board member for EarthDay.org, according to Davies. —Julia Gomez, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025

Hough coordinated her look with black platform sandal heels, a statement belt and sunglasses. —Julia Teti, Footwear News, 23 Apr. 2025

Noun

Located in Waltham, Massachusetts, New England Donor Services coordinates organ and tissue donation in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, the eastern counties of Vermont, and Bermuda. —Maureen Murphy, Hartford Courant, 20 Apr. 2025

By matching the coordinates of 95 of the sprites with multiple orbital satellite trajectories and star chart positions, researchers managed to pinpoint each electrical event’s time to within a one second margin of error. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Verb, and Noun

probably back-formation from coordination

First Known Use

Adjective

1641, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1665, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1806, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing coordinate

• Cartesian coordinate
• coordinate bond
• coordinate clause
• coordinate geometry
• cylindrical coordinate
• polar coordinate
• rectangular coordinate
• spherical coordinate
• x-coordinate
• y-coordinate
• z-coordinate

Rhymes for coordinate

• inordinate
• ordinate
• superordinate

Kids Definition

coordinate

1 of 3 adjective

co·​or·​di·​nate kō-ˈȯrd-nət 

-ᵊn-ət

1

: equal in rank

2

: being of equal rank in a compound sentence

coordinate clauses

coordinately adverb

coordinate

2 of 3 verb

co·​or·​di·​nate kō-ˈȯrd-ᵊn-ˌāt 

coordinated; coordinating

1

: to make or become coordinate

2

: to work or cause to work together smoothly

coordinator

-ˌāt-ər 

noun

coordinate

3 of 3 noun

co·​or·​di·​nate kō-ˈȯrd-nət 

-ᵊn-ət

1

: one that is coordinate with another

2

: any of a set of numbers used to locate a point on a line or surface or in space

Medical Definition

coordinate

verb

co·​or·​di·​nate kō-ˈȯrd-ᵊn-ˌāt 

coordinated; coordinating

transitive verb

: to bring into a common action, movement, or condition

coordinate muscular movements

intransitive verb

: to function together in a concerted way