Synonyms

connect

American

[kuh-nekt] / kəˈnɛkt /

verb (used with object)

to join, link, or fasten together; unite or bind.

to connect the two cities by a bridge; Communication satellites connect the local stations into a network.

Antonyms:

sunder, divide
to establish communication between; put in communication.

Operator, will you please connect me with Mr. Jones?
to have as an accompanying or associated feature.

pleasures connected with music.
to cause to be associated, as in a personal or business relationship.

to connect oneself with a group of like-minded persons; Our bank is connected with major foreign banks.

Antonyms:

dissociate
to associate mentally or emotionally.

She connects all telegrams with bad news.
to link to an electrical or communications system; hook up.

to connect a telephone.

verb (used without object)

to become connected; join or unite.

These two parts connect at the sides.
(of trains, buses, etc.) to run so as to make connections (often followed bywith ).

This bus connects with a northbound bus.
Informal. to have or establish successful communication; make contact.

I connected with two new clients today.
Informal. to relate to or be in harmony with another person, one's work, etc..

We knew each other well but never connected.
Slang. (of a drug dealer or user) to make direct contact for the illegal sale or purchase of drugs, as narcotics.
Sports. to hit successfully or solidly.

The batter connected for a home run. The boxer connected with a right.

adjective

of or relating to a connection or connections.

connect charges for a new cable television channel.

connect British

/ kəˈnɛkt /

verb

to link or be linked together; join; fasten
(tr) to relate or associate

I connect him with my childhood
(tr) to establish telephone communications with or between
(intr) to be meaningful or meaningfully related
(intr) (of two public vehicles, such as trains or buses) to have the arrival of one timed to occur just before the departure of the other, for the convenient transfer of passengers
informal (intr) to hit, punch, kick, etc, solidly
informal (intr) to be successful
slang (intr) to find a source of drugs, esp illegal drugs

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What are other ways to say connect?

To connect is to link or fasten together, as two cities by a bridge. How is connect different from join and unite? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of connect

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin connectere, equivalent to con- “with, together” + nectere “to tie”; see con-, nexus

Explanation

Connect means to join together. When a puzzle piece fits into another, they connect. You might fly to Chicago and then connect to a flight to LA. When you meet someone and feel comfortable with them right away, you connect. The uses of connect continue. A receptionist connects you to the person you want to speak to on the phone. When you are assembling something, you are often told to connect tab A to slot B. When you punch someone, your fist connects with their face. You might not connect a movie with a historical event until your teacher points it out.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing connect

The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 3

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com-, con-

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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:

connect connects connected connecting

Tech industry groups opposed Lowentha’s bill, arguing it would hamper users’ ability to connect with family and friends.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

Scientists have spent decades trying to control how tiny particles connect to form advanced materials.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

The researchers identified three important pathways involved in controlling skeletal muscles that also connect one side of the brain with the opposite side of the spinal cord.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

All four projects say they intend to connect to the national grid when it can meet their electricity needs, reducing their reliance on fossil fuels.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

I don’t know if the elephant is smart enough to connect me to her punishment and wonder why I didn’t do anything to stop it, but I am and I do.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

To determine why some developing mice were affected while others appeared protected, Cheadle and Sanchez Martin examined the placenta, the organ that connects a developing fetus to its mother and supports its growth throughout pregnancy.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026

The rail junction connects the Leiston branch line to the east Suffolk line.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

Marvell designs custom AI chips and other technology that connects processors and moves data around data centers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Wine storage and designer lighting complete the culinary space, which connects to the home’s larger entertaining areas.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

The self-focus actually connects her more deeply with other people—the other actors, people in the audience, even the fictional characters in the plays.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Remote monitoring helps physicians keep tabs on patients between visits through connected devices, such as blood-pressure cuffs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

The coyote couldn’t cross the entire length of the structure, which consists of two overpasses — one above the freeway and one above an adjacent road — connected by a graded slope.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

Six-time major winner Rory McIlroy has said those connected to LIV Golf were expressing an ambition to "destroy the European Tour" at the 2026 Masters, only months before the league filed for bankruptcy protection.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

At the atomic level, magnetism is connected to a quantum property of electrons known as spin.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

I got down on my hands and knees and crawled to the edge of the shelf and groped along to the bridge that connected the shelf to the polar ice.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

The bonds connecting them to nearby molecules were reorganized to accommodate the added phenanthroline.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

“We continue to advance our strategy by improving the consumer experience, lowering health care costs, and connecting care for the people we serve.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

Another collision in the southern region of Andalusia in January killed 46 people on the same key line connecting Madrid with the city of Seville, Spain's first high-speed route when it opened in 1992.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

Asked if the Spanish phrase was connecting with voters, Hinojosa said, “for sure with Latinos, and 1,000 percent with Latinas.”

From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026

She was the only operator in the room and her hands were flying, connecting one call after another with no pause in between.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023