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

Many say the bill is an attack on the public education system and that teachers were not consulted about the bill’s components, which includes plans to open charter schools and would require teachers to sign off annually on union dues. — John Raby, The Seattle Times, "Education bill opposed by teachers advances to W.Va. House," 4 Feb. 2019 Justices also tend to dislike simply overturning past rulings (though the court’s five conservatives, including Mr Kennedy, displayed no such squeamishness in a recent case that overturned decades of precedent to weaken public-sector unions). — The Economist, "A court with a solid conservative majority could reshape American life," 5 July 2018 Hendrex and Varsin did not respond to email messages from The Associated Press, and Steve Grammas, head of the police union, declined to comment. — CBS News, "Video shows police officer hesitating during Las Vegas shooting," 3 July 2018 Public-sector unions helped propel Murphy to the nomination. — Andrew Seidman, Philly.com, "Analysis: Shutdown averted in N.J., but no lasting peace among Dems," 2 July 2018 Berardino, who joined the board in 2011, was a longtime leader of the Orange County Employees Assn.. the county’s largest public sector union. — Luke Money, latimes.com, "After month-long delay, O.C. Fair Board approves contracts for 3 gun shows," 29 June 2018 Public-sector unions could now see their ranks shrink. — Fortune, "U.S. Supreme Court Rules Against Unions on Mandatory Fees," 27 June 2018 Some states license apprentices and journeymen electricians through union and nonunion channels. — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "How to Become a Skilled Tradesperson," 13 Mar. 2019 The middle-class wage squeeze is affecting an unlikely group: Hollywood movie and television writers, who are threatening to fire their agents en masse over what their union calls unfair business practices. — Joe Flint, WSJ, "Labor Action, With a Hollywood Twist: Screenwriters Threaten to Fire Their Agents," 29 Mar. 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

15 May 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