union

noun

\ ˈyün-yən

Definition of union

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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) capitalized : the federal union of states during the period of the American Civil War

c capitalized : 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

3a : 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

adjective

Definition of union (Entry 2 of 2)

: of, relating to, dealing with, or constituting a union especially, capitalized : of, relating to, or being the side favoring the Union in the American Civil War Union troops

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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

Samaria Rice last month delivered a petition signed by more than 150,000 people demanding that Follmer and the union drop their appeal. — Cory Shaffer, cleveland.com, "Gazebo where Tamir Rice was shot to be dedicated at Chicago museum: live coverage," 23 June 2019 Samaria Rice has opposed the union’s appeal effort. — Washington Post, "Gazebo where Ohio officer killed Tamir Rice moves to Chicago," 22 June 2019 That has contributed to a historic backlog in applications, the union says, while USCIS staff face greater and greater pressure to issue decisions. — Tovin Lapan, Fortune, "Why Trump's USCIS Pick Might Be His Most Controversial Yet," 21 June 2019 The union is highly sought after during election years. — Ella Nilsen, Vox, "The 2020 Nevada caucuses — and growing political power of the West — explained," 20 June 2019 In addition, if both sides remain at an impasse, the union will consider other measures such as asking the National Labor Relations Board to intervene. — Mary Carole Mccauley, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, musicians endure first work stoppage in 31 years. But they're still talking.," 18 June 2019 Gary Teachers Union President GlenEva Dunham said earlier via text the union’s lawyer was working to make sure each received due process. — Meredith Colias-pete, Post-Tribune, "Documents: Gary principal to be fired over confrontation with mother, failure to prescreen 'annoying award' for autistic boy," 15 June 2019 The union appealed the district court ruling on May 15 declaring Prop B unconstitutional to the 14th Court of Appeals. — Zach Despart, Houston Chronicle, "Appeals court orders Houston firefighters, city back to mediation," 13 June 2019 The union says that about 200 SEIU Local 1 janitors, in a show of solidarity, will refuse to cross the picket lines or clean the Bedrock buildings. — Jc Reindl, Detroit Free Press, "Downtown Detroit security guards to strike Thursday at Bedrock buildings," 12 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'union.' 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 union

Statistics for union

Last Updated

26 Jun 2019

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Time Traveler for union

The first known use of union was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for union

union

noun

English Language Learners Definition of union

: an organization of workers formed to protect the rights and interests of its members

: an act of joining two or more things together

: a group of states or nations that are ruled by one government or that agree to work together

See the full definition for union in the English Language Learners Dictionary

union

noun

\ ˈyün-yən

Kids Definition of union

1 : an act or instance of uniting or joining two or more things into one The river is formed by the union of two tributaries.

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

3 capitalized : the United States

4 capitalized : the group of states that supported the United States government in the American Civil War

5 : a device for connecting parts (as pipes)

6 : labor union

Union

adjective

Kids Definition of Union

: relating to the group of states that supported the United States government in the American Civil War Union soldiers

union

noun

\ ˈyü-nyən

Medical Definition of union

: 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

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union

noun

Legal Definition of union

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