union

1 of 2

noun

ˈyün-yən 

plural unions

1

a

: an act or instance of uniting or joining two or more things into one: such as

(1)

: the formation of a single political unit from two or more separate and independent units

(2)

: a uniting in marriage

also : sexual intercourse

(3)

: the growing together of severed parts

b

: a unified condition : combination, junction

a gracious union of excellence and strength

2

: something that is made one : something formed by a combining or coalition of parts or members: such as

a

: a confederation of independent individuals (such as nations or persons) for some common purpose

b(1)

: a political unit constituting an organic whole formed usually from units which were previously governed separately (such as England and Scotland in 1707) and which have surrendered or delegated their principal powers to the government of the whole or to a newly created government (such as the U.S. in 1789)

(2)

the Union in U.S. history : the group of states that remained part of the United States after 11 southern states seceded in 1860 and 1861 and formed the Confederacy (see confederacy sense 2b) : the federal union of states during the period of the American Civil War

c

Union : an organization on a college or university campus providing recreational, social, cultural, and sometimes dining facilities

also : the building housing such an organization

d

: the set of all elements belonging to one or more of a given collection of two or more sets

called also join, sum

e

: labor union

3

a

: a device emblematic of the union of two or more sovereignties borne on a national flag typically in the upper inner corner or constituting the whole design of the flag

b

: the upper inner corner of a flag

4

: any of various devices for connecting parts (as of a machine)

especially : a coupling for pipes or pipes and fittings

union

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, dealing with, or constituting a union

especially, Union : of, relating to, or being the side favoring the Union in the American Civil War

Union troops

Synonyms

Noun

• combination
• combining
• connecting
• connection
• consolidation
• coupling
• junction
• linking
• merger
• merging
• unification

Examples of union in a Sentence

Noun

She joined the teachers' union.

An embryo is created through the union of sperm and egg.

a perfect union of Eastern and Western music

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Since the Dodger Stadium group went public with their unionization drive, more tour guides have been hired and will ultimately be included in the union, according IATSE B-192. Related Stories The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to the Dodgers for comment. —Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Apr. 2024

Leaders from the two major train crew unions and a firefighters’ union joined Buttigieg at the event announcing the rule. —Tony Romm, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024

More:Neenah school board candidates said they weren't contacted by 1776 Project Teachers unions make smaller donations across state Teachers unions have also invested in candidates across the state, with regional chapters of the Wisconsin Education Association Council putting up at least $10,000. —Rory Linnane, Journal Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2024

Powerful unions have joined forces with former Los Angeles schools Supt. —Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2024

Negotiations between the county and the nurse’s union are intensifying as the county is projecting a $250 million deficit for the upcoming fiscal year. —Grace Hase, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024

Despite the rain, crowds wearing the green T-shirts of the country’s biggest union, The Association of State Workers, or ATE, swelled outside national ministries. —Isabel Debre, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024

There’s not a lot of other opportunities, there’s no unions, so [manufacturers] have a lot of bargaining power. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2024

That core of private sector unions, joined later by growing activism in local public sector unions, sustained the city’s labor movement even amid former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s attacks on unions in the 2010s. —TIME, 2 Apr. 2024

Adjective

Being part of a union increased the median wealth for households of color by between 167% to 228%, a figure that dropped to just 37% for union and non-union white households. —Chloe Berger, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024

Fight over union rights at the Indianapolis Airport The fight at the airport between two local unions and the Indianapolis Airport Authority is a sign of unions struggling to exert influence, even in a city that's governed by the pro-union Democratic Party. —Binghui Huang, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024

The layoff figure includes both union members and non-union managers. —Gene Maddaus, Variety, 23 Jan. 2024

However, though billed as a speech to union workers, Trump's remarks took place at a non-union auto parts plant. —Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 31 Jan. 2024

The coffee chain's decision to grant raises to both its union and non-union employees is a departure from the company's previous policy. —Elizabeth Napolitano, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2023

Those laws provide union representation to non-union members without requiring the payment of union dues, and some corporations invest money into programs and consultants who introduce union-suppressing tactics to the workplace. —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2023

At issue was that while the dance artists worked under a union contract for the VMAs, they were not presented with any kind of contract for the non-union behind-the-scenes footage that surfaced in the documentary. —Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2023

The company's leaders blamed the closure, in part, on contentious dealings with its union and the rise of non-union competitors. —Elizabeth Napolitano, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin union-, unio oneness, union, from Latin unus one — more at one

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1634, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing union

• civil union
• anti-union
• industrial union
• craft union
• credit union
• labor union
• student union
• inter-union
• company union
• postal union
• personal union
• union shop
• union jack
• union church
• union territory
• trade union
• union suit
• vertical union
• union card

Kids Definition

union

1 of 2 noun

ˈyün-yən

1

a

: an act or instance of uniting two or more things into one

the union of Scotland and England

union of a man and woman in marriage

b

: combination sense 1

the union of science and technology to solve modern problems

2

a

: something (as a nation) formed by a combining of parts or members

b

: labor union

c

: the mathematical set that contains all of the elements which are included in at least one of two or more sets

the union of the set {1, 2, 3} and the set {3, 4, 5} is the set {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

3

: a device for connecting parts (as pipes)

Union

2 of 2 adjective

: of, relating to, or being the side favoring the federal union in the American Civil War

the Union army

Medical Definition

union

noun

ˈyü-nyən 

: an act or instance of uniting or joining two or more things into one: as

a

: the growing together of severed parts

union of a fractured bone

b

: a chemical combination : bond

c

: the joining of two germ cells in the process of fertilization

Legal Definition

union

noun

1

: an act or instance of uniting or joining two or more things into one

especially : the formation of a single political unit from two or more separate and individual units

2

: something that is made one : something formed by a combining or coalition of its members: as

a

: a confederation of independent individuals (as nations or persons) for some common purpose

b

: a political unit constituting an organic whole formed usually from previously independent units (as England and Scotland in 1707) which have surrendered their principal powers to the government of the whole or to a newly created government (as the U.S. in 1789)

c

: labor union