merge

verb \ ˈmərj \

|Updated on: 13 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: merge in a Sentence

Definition of merge

merged; merging

transitive verb

1 archaic : to plunge or engulf in something : immerse

2 : to cause to combine, unite, or coalesce (see coalesce 2)

merged the two companies

3 : to blend gradually by stages that blur distinctions

individuality and uniqueness are merged and blurred
—Norman Kelman

intransitive verb

1 : to become combined into one

The two banks merged.

2 : to blend or come together without abrupt change

merging traffic

—

mergence

play \ˈmər-jən(t)s\ noun

See merge defined for English-language learners

See merge defined for kids

Examples of merge in a Sentence

To save the business, the owners decided to merge it with one of their competitors.
The two banks merged to form one large institution.
Many small companies have been forced to merge.
Three lanes of traffic all merge at this point.
Day slowly merged into night.
Along the coast the mountains gradually merge with the shore.
She merged into the crowd and disappeared.

Recent Examples of merge from the Web

The announcement of this deal comes just weeks after AT&T merged with Time Warner and AppNexus as well.

— renae reints, Fortune, "AT&T to Acquire Cybersecurity Company AlienVault," 10 July 2018
In the normal configuration, the collector-distributor narrows to one lane where drivers merge onto I-5.

— michelle baruchman, The Seattle Times, "Revive I-5: Why you see traffic barrels blocking a lane even when there’s no active construction," 9 July 2018
Meanwhile Karn, 61, an executive assistant in the health care and legal industries, has been between jobs after her last employer merged with another company and budget cuts happened.

— elliot hughes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Here's how you can help a Vietnam War veteran who became paralyzed after falling down stairs," 3 July 2018
Named Jyn Erso, after the protagonist in Rogue One who teams up with the Rebel Alliance to steal the plans for the Death Star, the new initiative merges the Army’s top technologists with experts from the private sector.

— issie lapowsky, WIRED, "The Pentagon Is Building a Dream Team of Tech-Savvy Soldiers," 2 July 2018
Civil actions have been filed throughout the country, but are being merged under a single case at the U.S. District Court in northern Ohio.

— dennis wagner, azcentral, "Opioid epidemic: Arizona cities, counties join huge federal suit against pain-med makers," 30 June 2018
Actually, traffic slowed to a crawl and as vehicles merged.

— john sowell, idahostatesman, "Contractor herding traffic near fiery I-84 crash had safety plan. Here's what it said," 29 June 2018
Louise was an active member of the Junior Service League and served as President the year the Winter Park JSL merged with the Orlando JSL.

— OrlandoSentinel.com, "Deaths in Central Florida: 6/27," 27 June 2018
Here's a quick look at all of the new inductees: Sam Ball The Henderson, Kentucky, native started three years on the offensive line at Kentucky before he was selected in both the NFL and AFL drafts, one year before the leagues merged.

— justin sayers, The Courier-Journal, "Bob Baffert, Bob Beatty inducted to Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame," 27 June 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of merge

Latin mergere; akin to Sanskrit majjati he dives

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1636

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

merge Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of merge

mix, mingle, commingle, blend, merge, coalesce, amalgamate, fuse mean to combine into a more or less uniform whole. mix may or may not imply loss of each element's identity.

- mix the salad greens
- mix a drink

mingle usually suggests that the elements are still somewhat distinguishable or separately active.

- fear mingled with anticipation in my mind

commingle implies a closer or more thorough mingling.

- a sense of duty commingled with a fierce pride drove her

blend implies that the elements as such disappear in the resulting mixture.

- blended several teas to create a balanced flavor

merge suggests a combining in which one or more elements are lost in the whole.

- in his mind reality and fantasy merged

coalesce implies an affinity in the merging elements and usually a resulting organic unity.

- telling details that coalesce into a striking portrait

amalgamate implies the forming of a close union without complete loss of individual identities.

- refugees who were readily amalgamated into the community

fuse stresses oneness and indissolubility of the resulting product.

- a building in which modernism and classicism are fused

MERGE Defined for English Language Learners

merge

verb

Definition of merge for English Language Learners

: to cause (two or more things, such as two companies) to come together and become one thing : to join or unite (one thing) with another
: to become joined or united
: to change into or become part of something else in a very gradual way