union

noun

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\ 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 Fahey, a former criminal prosecutor, resigned abruptly in what one person familiar with the situation said was due his being pressured to sign an agreement with ICE's union. — Anna Giaritelli, Washington Examiner, "Head of ICE, Jonathan Fahey, resigns abruptly after 13 days in position," 13 Jan. 2021 Unlike other school districts, the school system’s agreement with the union on reopening schools is not tied to specific health metrics. — Washington Post, "D.C. gives staff assignments for in-person learning as mistrust in reopening plan persists," 8 Jan. 2021 Augsburg administrators have pledged to work with the union. — Ryan Faircloth, Star Tribune, "Augsburg University staff become first unionized professional staff at a Minnesota private college," 7 Jan. 2021 Vaccinations aside, Portland Public Schools is also in the midst of negotiating working conditions with its teachers union. — oregonlive, "Portland-area schools aren’t in for a wide-scale reopening despite looser state coronavirus restrictions," 30 Dec. 2020 The bill clarifies that MES employees, who are not currently unionized, may organize with a union and seek a labor contract. — Pamela Wood, baltimoresun.com, "State lawmakers seek to reform Maryland Environmental Service after revelations of lavish spending," 30 Dec. 2020 The North Royalton schools will extend its contract with the teachers’ union by one year, from August 2021 July 2022, and give teachers 2.5-percent raises. — Bob Sandrick, cleveland, "North Royalton teachers to receive 2.5-percent raises under one-year contract extension," 28 Dec. 2020 But Catanzara has had an extremely contentious relationship with Brown’s boss, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, whose administration is the middle of tense contract negotiations with the police union. — Jeremy Gorner, chicagotribune.com, "Controversial president of Chicago police union faces possible firing over inflammatory posts on social media," 17 Dec. 2020 The paper negotiated its first-ever contract with the union representing newsroom employees. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, "Norman Pearlstine steps down as Los Angeles Times leadership search continues," 14 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Non-union workers are already taking pay cuts, but the company doesn’t have to negotiate with those workers. — Dallas News, "Southwest Airlines issues 1,322 furlough warnings in Texas. Here’s where cuts could hit the hardest," 9 Dec. 2020 Spiers had created a pop-up notification to make colleagues aware of their right to organize on the company's community guidelines page and its anti-union website, the complaint and press release state. — Sara Ashley O'brien, CNN, "Google unlawfully fired worker organizers, federal agency alleges," 3 Dec. 2020 Amazon and Bezos for many years have been surrounded by controversy, from e-commerce tax breaks to anti-union stances to battles with the Trump administration. — James Ledbetter, Washington Post, "Jeff Bezos’s thoughts on Big Business, outer space and The Washington Post," 20 Nov. 2020 There are more the 30 people interviewed on camera in the film, most of them admittedly pro-union and all of them admirers of Hogan. — Rick Kogan, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Movie ‘Betrayal’ shows a shocking one-side case against Teamsters leader Bill Hogan, Jr.," 16 Nov. 2020 The new budget includes a salary freeze for all non-union county workers, and a reduction of 31 positions out of a workforce of nearly 2,700 county employees. — Yadira Sanchez Olson, chicagotribune.com, "COVID-19 prompts Lake County Board to approve smaller budget, no property tax levy increase," 24 Nov. 2020 Southwest also has instituted pay cuts for some non-union employees. — Hallie Miller, baltimoresun.com, "More than 100 Southwest employees could be furloughed in Maryland as airline braces for dismal winter," 20 Nov. 2020 Neither seems to be anti-union and certainly nothing close to anti-teacher. — Arkansas Online, "Not quite finished," 15 Nov. 2020 Suppose Democrats pass a massive infrastructure measure that requires tax increases or deficit spending and is laden with pro-union provisions. — Susan Ferrechio, Washington Examiner, "A Senate GOP victory means more gridlock in Congress," 5 Nov. 2020

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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Last Updated

23 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Union.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/union. Accessed 24 Jan. 2021.

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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

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