coordinate

1 of 3

adjective

co·​or·​di·​nate kō-ˈȯrd-nət How to pronounce coordinate (audio)
-ˈȯr-də-nət,
-də-ˌnāt
1
a
: equal in rank, quality, or significance
keeping the branches of government coordinate
b
: being of equal rank in a sentence
coordinate clauses
2
: relating to or marked by coordination
3
a
: being a university that awards degrees to men and women taught usually by the same faculty but attending separate classes often on separate campuses
b
: being one of the colleges and especially the women's branch of a coordinate university
4
: of, relating to, or being a system of indexing by two or more terms so that documents may be retrieved through the intersection of index terms
coordinately adverb
coordinateness noun

coordinate

2 of 3

verb

co·​or·​di·​nate kō-ˈȯr-də-ˌnāt How to pronounce coordinate (audio)
coordinated; coordinating

transitive verb

1
: to put in the same order or rank
2
: to bring into a common action, movement, or condition : harmonize
coordinate schedules
She'll be coordinating the relief effort.
3
: to attach so as to form a coordination complex

intransitive verb

1
: to be or become equal in rank, quality, or significance especially so as to act or work together well
2
: to combine by means of a coordinate bond
coordinative
kō-ˈȯrd-nə-tiv How to pronounce coordinate (audio)
-ˈȯr-də-nə-tiv
-də-ˌnā-
adjective

coordinate

3 of 3

noun

co·​or·​di·​nate kō-ˈȯrd-nət How to pronounce coordinate (audio)
-ˈȯr-də-nət,
-də-ˌnāt
1
a
: any of a set of numbers used in specifying the location of a point on a line, on a surface, or in space
latitude and longitude coordinates
b
: any one of a set of variables used in specifying the state of a substance or the motion of a particle or momentum
2
: one who is of equal rank, authority, or importance with another
3
coordinates plural : articles (as of clothing) designed to be used together and to attain their effect through pleasing contrast (as of color, material, or texture)

Examples of coordinate in a Sentence

Verb She'll be coordinating the relief effort. You'll have to coordinate with the sales department. National and international relief efforts must coordinate if the operation is to be successful. We need to coordinate our schedules. Dancers need to coordinate their moves. Since his illness, he has had trouble coordinating his arms and legs. Noun We calculated its exact coordinates. the Nobel Memorial Award for Economic Science is universally regarded as the coordinate of the original Nobel Prizes for peace, literature, medicine, physics, and chemistry
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The map was an attempt at a compromise between distorting the areas of continents and the angles of coordinate line. Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 29 Nov. 2022 There exist a number of particularly useful coordinate choices for this space. Mark Trodden, Discover Magazine, 15 Apr. 2012 Arbery’s plays and his characters roam this coordinate plane in all directions, occupying many quadrants at once. Chloé Cooper Jones, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2022 The hexagons, which covered the entire enclosure, appeared to form the individual units of a grid—similar to the squares formed by the coordinate lines on a road map. May-Britt Moser, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2016 The initial rollout of coronavirus vaccines in the US has been slow and messy, as states have tried coordinate plans for appointments with little federal guidance. Kim Lyons, The Verge, 25 Jan. 2021 The x-axis and y-axis show the two dimensions of a coordinate plane. Dave Linkletter, Popular Mechanics, 22 July 2022 Cedarburg City Administrator Mikko Hilvo said his Ozaukee County community has been hearing from citizens about the city's coordinate address system, too. Chris Foran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2022 Doyle, who formerly served as the coordinate mayor of Cork County, Ireland, was due to visit for 2020's parade before its last-minute cancellation. Lauren Wethington, Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2022
Verb
Ramirez tells Rolling Stone the message was sent to try and coordinate a meeting between Pierce and a drag-queen friend of Ramirez’s. Ben Shimkus, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2024 Alito said the intense back-and-forth and constant demands from the Biden administration at the height of the vaccination campaign in 2021 suggested the government was impermissibly coordinating with, and coercing, social media companies. Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024 Interpol was also brought in to help coordinate casework. Ali Winston, WIRED, 13 Mar. 2024 The lack of a broader command structure capable of coordinating drone units across the frontline often translates to confusion among Ukrainian troops. Yurii Shyvala, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Alba and Teigen both opted to rock silver gowns for the festivities, with the guys in black tuxedos to coordinate. Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 No question, stone tools couldn’t have become a keystone of human technology and subsistence without hands that could do the job, along with a nervous system that could regulate and coordinate the necessary signals. Sabrina Sholts, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024 The agency is coordinating closely with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to evaluate the situation and follow the American Crocodile-Human Interaction Response Plan. Pilar Arias, Fox News, 11 Mar. 2024 Committees cannot coordinate or communicate with candidates and their campaigns. Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024
Noun
The coordinates of Earhart’s plane were miles behind them. Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Iran clearly organizes, coordinates, trains, and directs all its regional proxies, from Hezbollah in Lebanon to Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces and the Yemeni Houthis. Seth Cropsey, National Review, 10 Feb. 2024 Later, Roma himself called 911 as coordinates placed him between Mount Bond and Mount Guyot. David Chiu, Peoplemag, 19 Jan. 2024 Most valuable of all, the app shares the precise GPS coordinates of Marcela’s phone and the pseudonymized advertising ID number that Google has assigned to her, called an AAID. Byron Tau, WIRED, 27 Feb. 2024 Intuitive Machines shared Odysseus’ precise location: The spacecraft is sitting at the coordinates 80.13°S and 1.44°E on the moon, resting at about 2,579 meters (8,500 feet) in elevation. Jackie Wattles, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024 The Ukrainian soldiers burrow into their musty underground bunker, waiting at dawn for target coordinates to fire their 105 mm artillery gun. Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Feb. 2024 Kate and Charlotte both wear jeans, while William, George and Louis coordinate in dark slacks (with Louis in shorts!). Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 9 Dec. 2023 Then relaying the bases’ coordinates to the 36th Brigade’s artillery for precision strikes. David Axe, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coordinate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Verb, and Noun

probably back-formation from coordination

First Known Use

Adjective

1641, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1665, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1806, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of coordinate was in 1641

Dictionary Entries Near coordinate

Cite this Entry

“Coordinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coordinate. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

coordinate

1 of 3 adjective
co·​or·​di·​nate kō-ˈȯrd-nət How to pronounce coordinate (audio)
-ᵊn-ət
1
: equal in rank
2
: being of equal rank in a compound sentence
coordinate clauses
coordinately adverb

coordinate

2 of 3 verb
co·​or·​di·​nate kō-ˈȯrd-ᵊn-ˌāt How to pronounce coordinate (audio)
coordinated; coordinating
1
: to make or become coordinate
2
: to work or cause to work together smoothly
coordinator noun

coordinate

3 of 3 noun
co·​or·​di·​nate kō-ˈȯrd-nət How to pronounce coordinate (audio)
-ᵊn-ət
1
: one that is coordinate with another
2
: any of a set of numbers used to locate a point on a line or surface or in space

Medical Definition

coordinate

verb
co·​or·​di·​nate kō-ˈȯrd-ᵊn-ˌāt How to pronounce coordinate (audio)
coordinated; coordinating

transitive verb

: to bring into a common action, movement, or condition
coordinate muscular movements

intransitive verb

: to function together in a concerted way

More from Merriam-Webster on coordinate

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