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

The union’s communications director, Pedro Zayas, did not respond to calls from The Courant. — Jon Lender, courant.com, "Jon Lender: State health official is fired after selecting daughter for $10K summer job, and her boss is suspended for 60 days without pay," 13 Sep. 2019 The union lasted less than three years but produced two sons: James Adam Cotter, 32, and James Andrew Cotter, 31. — Patrick Danner, ExpressNews.com, "Cotter heirs battle over San Antonio real estate tycoon’s estate," 12 Sep. 2019 And executives made questionable decisions at the highest levels, union officials argue. — Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, "Kaiser Permanente Colorado, now 50, facing mid-life struggles," 8 Sep. 2019 Walmart sued the union on grounds of trespass and public and private nuisance. — Donna Engle, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Legal Matters: Is it legal to picket on a private street or a parking lot?," 6 Sep. 2019 The union also has complained to the National Labor Relations Board. — Anne Saker, Cincinnati.com, "Nurses at University of Cincinnati Medical Center to set up picket to protest job actions," 2 Sep. 2019 Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, a Democrat from San Diego and a former union official, introduced AB 5 as a way of controlling what exceptions, if any, would be granted to the court’s three-factor test. — Dan Walters, The Mercury News, "Walters: California legislators mull the future of work," 29 Aug. 2019 Eight people have pleaded guilty in an investigation of union officials and Fiat Chrysler executives enriching themselves with money from a job training center in Detroit. — Ed White, chicagotribune.com, "FBI searches Detroit-area home of UAW president, apparently as part of corruption probe," 28 Aug. 2019 Jenny David, a Phoenix registered nurse and the ballot initiative committee chair, said her group approached the California union about supporting the initiative. — Stephanie Innes, azcentral, "A California union is behind health ballot initiative in Arizona," 26 Aug. 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

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Last Updated

18 Sep 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