join
Americanverb (used with object)
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joins,
present (3rd person singular)
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joined,
past participle, past
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joining
present participle
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to bring in contact, connect, or bring or put together.
to join hands; to join pages with a staple.
- Synonyms:
- amalgamate, consolidate, associate, combine, conjoin, attach, fasten, couple, link
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to come into contact or union with.
The brook joins the river.
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to bring together in a particular relation or for a specific purpose, action, etc.; unite.
to join forces against the smugglers.
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to become a member of (an organization, party, etc.).
to join a club.
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to enlist in (one of the armed forces).
to join the Navy.
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to come into the company of; meet or accompany.
I'll join you later.
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to participate with (someone) in some act or activity.
My wife joins me in thanking you for the gift.
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to unite in marriage.
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to meet or engage in (battle, conflict, etc.).
The opposing armies joined battle.
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to adjoin; meet.
His land joins mine.
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to draw a curve or straight line between.
to join two points on a graph.
verb (used without object)
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joins,
present (3rd person singular)
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joined,
past participle, past
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joining
present participle
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to come into or be in contact or connection.
a place where cliffs and sea join.
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to become united, associated, or combined; associate or ally oneself; participate (usually followed bywith ).
Please join with us in our campaign.
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to take part with others (often followed byin ).
Let's all join in.
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to be contiguous or close; lie or come together; form a junction.
Our farms join along the river.
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to enlist in one of the armed forces (often followed byup ).
He joined up to fight for his country.
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to meet in battle or conflict.
verb
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to come or bring together; connect
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to become a member of (a club, organization, etc)
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to become associated or allied
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to take part
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(tr) to meet (someone) as a companion
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(tr) to become part of; take a place in or with
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(tr) to unite (two people) in marriage
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(tr) geometry to connect with a straight line or a curve
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(tr) an informal word for adjoin
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to start fighting
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to report for work after a period of leave or a strike
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to hold one's own hands together
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(of two people) to hold each other's hands
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(usually foll by with) to work together in an enterprise or task
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noun
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a joint; seam
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the act of joining
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maths another name for union
Usage
What are other ways to say join?
To join is to bring in contact, connect, or bring together. How is join different from connect and unite? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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misjoinverb
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unjoinverb
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underjoinverb (used with object)
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joinableadjective
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unjoinableadjective
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well-joinedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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joinsimple
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joinssimple
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have joinedperfect
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has joinedperfect
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am joiningprogressive
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are joiningprogressive
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is joiningprogressive
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have been joiningperfect progressive
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has been joiningperfect progressive
Past
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joinedsimple
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had joinedperfect
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was joiningprogressive
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were joiningprogressive
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had been joiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of join
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English joinen, from Old French joign- (stem of joindre “to join”), from Latin jungere “to join”; see yoke 1 ( def. )
Explanation
To join is to connect, attach, or become a member of. You could join two puzzle pieces together or join the Girl Scouts; it's your choice. You can join two plastic tubes to make a long tunnel for your pet hamster, and you can also join a club — in other words, become a member or a part of the group. You can also join in with a song or join the staff of a swimming pool as a lifeguard. Join comes from the Old French word joindre, "connect or unite," from the Latin root iungere, "to join together, unite, or yoke."
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:
The former Newcastle captain made it clear he wanted to join the Premier League champions earlier this summer.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Other countries are welcome to join the agreement, the official said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
With his “X-Men” casting, Connor would join his fellow “Heartstopper” and “Heartstopper Forever” star Joe Locke in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Notably absent from the talks is opposition favorite and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, who lives in exile and was not invited to join the discussion.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
The longer we stand there, the more people join and the louder the crowd becomes.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Rodri, though, may not receive a universal reception if he joins one of the two Spanish giants.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Kennedy joins Gruel — a chef, restaurateur and prominent opponent of COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 — in a bright white studio kitchen.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
Skubal joins Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani as postseason rotation options, creating an enviable surplus if all five are healthy in October.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
The company in July announces the appointment of Kelly Ortberg, who joins as chief executive in August 2024.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
If the lion catches a child between the bases, he joins the lions team.
From "Lost Boy, Lost Girl" by John Bul Dau
Ewan joined him for the last stint in Yeovil and said she cannot wait to see koala bears in real life.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Such a group — joined potentially by Anderson Cooper and the former producers who resigned in protest — could sell itself as carrying the true DNA of gold-standard television news.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
Zoë Billingham, a former independent police inspector who pushed for reforms on how violence against women in girls is policed, said that "too often in cases like this the dots aren't being joined up".
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
I first met Jim Lawson, co-lead, global financial officers practice at Russell Reynolds, when he joined the WSJ Leadership Institute’s CFO & COO Council Dinner in May, so I reached out for his take.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Almost dead through starvation over that long, cold winter, she somehow stayed alive long enough to get me and the boys to the end of the war before she joined her husband.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Parkes spent 18 years with Wolves between 1960 and 1978 and made 382 appearances after joining the club as a schoolboy.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Laforteza thanked her fans for being “patient, understanding, and always showing me so much love,” and said she’d be joining Katseye fans, aka “eyekons,” in cheering on the group in the meantime.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
Germany’s foreign minister said Berlin had no intention of joining military operations in the Strait of Hormuz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Some of his GOP colleagues in the Senate are joining him in condemning his former son-in-law.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
“Some islands make it impossible to land at all,” said Irian, joining them.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
