combine
Americanverb (used with object)
-
combines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
combined,
past participle, past
-
combining
present participle
-
to bring into or join in a close union or whole; unite.
She combined the ingredients to make the cake.
They combined the two companies.
- Synonyms:
- amalgamate, compound
- Antonyms:
- separate
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to possess or exhibit in union.
a plan that combines the best features of several other plans.
-
to harvest (grain) with a combine.
verb (used without object)
-
combines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
combined,
past participle, past
-
combining
present participle
-
to unite; coalesce.
The clay combined with the water to form a thick paste.
- Antonyms:
- separate
-
to unite for a common purpose; join forces.
After the two factions combined, they proved invincible.
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to enter into chemical union.
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to use a combine in harvesting.
noun
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combines
plural
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a combination.
-
a combination of persons or groups for the furtherance of their political, commercial, or other interests, as a syndicate, cartel, or trust.
-
a harvesting machine for cutting and threshing grain in the field.
verb
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to integrate or cause to be integrated; join together
-
to unite or cause to unite to form a chemical compound
-
agriculture to harvest (crops) with a combine harvester
noun
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agriculture short for combine harvester
-
an association of enterprises, esp in order to gain a monopoly of a market
-
an association of business corporations, political parties, sporting clubs, etc, for a common purpose
Usage
What does combine mean? To combine means to join two or more things together into a single unit. When things are combined, they form combinations. Less commonly, combine can also be used as a noun to refer to several different things, especially a grain harvester and an event at which athletes showcase their skills. Example: At the draft combine, scouts are looking for a player who combines strength, agility, and intelligence in a single package.
Synonym Usage
See mix.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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combinabilitynoun
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combinernoun
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recombinernoun
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precombineverb
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recombineverb
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intercombineverb (used with object)
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combinableadjective
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noncombiningadjective
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uncombiningadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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combinesimple
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combinessimple
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have combinedperfect
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has combinedperfect
-
am combiningprogressive
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are combiningprogressive
-
is combiningprogressive
-
have been combiningperfect progressive
-
has been combiningperfect progressive
Past
-
combinedsimple
-
had combinedperfect
-
was combiningprogressive
-
were combiningprogressive
-
had been combiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of combine
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English combinen, from Middle French combiner, from Late Latin combīnāre, equivalent to com- com- + -bīnāre, verb derived from bīnī “by twos” ( cf. binary)
Explanation
When you put things together, you combine them, creating one out of several. In some cases, the different items blend their properties and cannot be divided again, while in other cases the combined items can be picked out separately. In Latin, the prefix com- means "together," and bīnī means "two by two." These were combined to create the word combīnāre, or "to unite." Comedian Dave Attell offers a good use of the verb combine (cum-BINE): What're the two things they tell you are healthiest to eat? Chicken and fish. You know what you should do? Combine them, eat a penguin. Hiram Moore's combine (the noun is pronounced COM-bine) was a machine that combined reaping, binding, and threshing into one machine, saving farmers a lot of work.
Vocabulary lists containing combine
com-, con-
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Human Geography - Middle School
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Human Geography - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Discovery to combine the two companies’ streaming operations and the storied film studio with Melrose Avenue’s Paramount Pictures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Instead of relying on a traditional penalty-box striker, De Zerbi often asks his centre forward to vacate central spaces, combine with midfielders and create room for wide players to attack.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
AstraZeneca AZN -6.08%decrease; red down pointing triangle shares fell sharply after media reports that the U.K. drugmaker held talks to combine with U.S. rival Bristol Myers Squibb BMY 0.69%increase; up pointing triangle .
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Scott is a 10-time Grammy nominee whose ability to combine spectacle with his lyrical craft has gained him a significantly passionate following.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
How to combine everything and simmer with red wine.
From "The Fourteenth Goldfish" by Jennifer L. Holm
Known as NEUSLeeP, the device combines gentle ultrasound stimulation with electrodes that track brain activity as it happens.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
They used a risk calculator called Boadicea that combines factors such as family history, lifestyle, reproductive history and genetic information to give a risk score.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
“Perfectly positioned near ocean beaches, renowned restaurants, and the heart of the village, the property seamlessly combines privacy, elegance, and convenience.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
Nebbiolo, a grape grown mainly in southern Piedmont’s Langhe region, combines the finesse and complexity of Pinot Noir with the power and tannins of Cabernet Sauvignon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Modern quantum mechanics combines both ideas, and it is customary today to think of light as behaving in some circumstances as a beam of particles and in others as a wave.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Under the arrangement, the company plans to acquire homesites from the combined Dream Finders and Beazer organization.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The pair combined again to great effect the following year on Madonna's number two UK chart hit Beautiful Stranger, which he co-wrote and played on.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
They combined those findings with previously published evidence from the equatorial Atlantic, the North Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
Ellison, in his bid for Warner Bros., has promised regulators that a combined Warner-Paramount studio would release 30 films a year — an amount that some experts believe is overly ambitious.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
The possibility of a containment breach in unit 2 combined with a meltdown in the unit 4 fuel pool was a radiological nightmare.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
“And I always love combining two schools of acting: the professional and the nonprofessional.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Salt struck 48 from 37 while Short hit 71 from 47 deliveries, with the pair combining for a total of 11 fours and five sixes.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Most of the increased cost savings came from combining streaming technology and third-party vendors, said Andy Gordon, chief strategy officer and chief operating officer, in an interview.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
A Japanese journalist coined the term cosplay -- combining costume and play -- in 1984 after seeing people dressed as monsters and aliens at a sci-fi convention in Los Angeles.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
The Gran had left Ravenskill on the very night he’d gone missing, meeting with the Twelve Towns’ council and combining their efforts to try to find him.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
