coalesce
Americanverb (used without object)
-
coalesces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
coalesced,
past participle, past
-
coalescing
present participle
-
to grow together or into one body.
The two lakes coalesced into one.
-
to unite so as to form one mass, community, etc..
The various groups coalesced into a crowd.
-
to blend or come together.
Their ideas coalesced into one theory.
verb (used with object)
-
coalesces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
coalesced,
past participle, past
-
coalescing
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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coalescencenoun
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noncoalescencenoun
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coalescentadjective
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noncoalescentadjective
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noncoalescingadjective
-
uncoalescentadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
coalescesimple
-
coalescessimple
-
have coalescedperfect
-
has coalescedperfect
-
am coalescingprogressive
-
are coalescingprogressive
-
is coalescingprogressive
-
have been coalescingperfect progressive
-
has been coalescingperfect progressive
Past
-
coalescedsimple
-
had coalescedperfect
-
was coalescingprogressive
-
were coalescingprogressive
-
had been coalescingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of coalesce
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin coalēscere, equivalent to co- co- + al- (stem of alere “to nourish, make grow”) + -escere -esce
Explanation
Waiting for a plan to come together? You're waiting for it to coalesce. Coalesce is when different elements of something join together and become one. In coalesce, you see co-, which should tell you the word means "together." The other half of the word comes from alescere, a Latin verb meaning "to grow up." So if you are trying to start up a photography club at school, once you have an advisor, some interested students, and support from the administration, things will hopefully coalesce, or come together, to make it happen.
Vocabulary lists containing coalesce
"A Quilt of a Country," Vocabulary from the argument
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Flowers for Algernon
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myPerspectives 9.1
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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:
The coroner said the inquest aimed to give the Pearson family a voice, but added that their concerns "coalesce into two words of rhetoric – 'What if?'"
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
This is how her Gemini Venus makes all of her multidisciplinary artistic practices coalesce into one cohesive universe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
What the polls generally failed to foresee—and arguably shouldn’t have been expected to, given the fluctuating field—was that just enough voters would ultimately coalesce behind Crowley to put him over the top.
From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2026
Steinhauser said he expected Paxton’s campaign to “recalibrate a little bit on focus and messaging for the general election” and coalesce Republican voters.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
But if you looked closely, like Rishi was doing, it all began to coalesce into this design.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
A tense family coalesces around the memorial of its eldest son, cut down in the prime of what seems like an argument-leaden life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
A cohort of skilled people coalesces, and the Junglekeepers nonprofit is born, taking donations for land acquisition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
But IndieWire's Caleb Hammond said: "While this version contains its fair share of standout sequences along with Oscar-ready performances, the film never fully coalesces into an effective, singular, emotional narrative."
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2024
With “Moving Chains,” she added, “everything that he’s been working on up to this moment coalesces in the piece.”
From New York Times ● Oct. 7, 2022
The group coalesces around the front-runners as Frederick and his pursuers get to their feet, all of them pasted with snow.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Opposition has also coalesced around religious appeals from a theologically diverse group of residents, leaders and politicians who see data center development as an affront to their most sacred values.
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026
Cabinet reshuffles require parliamentary approval -- although lawmakers have largely coalesced around Zelensky since Russia's invasion, and do not typically block his agenda.
From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026
Democratic voters and interest groups quickly coalesced behind Becerra, who was seen as a steady candidate with a long resume in California politics and a record of fighting the Trump administration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
Though Rollins wrote several tunes now regarded as standards, like “St. Thomas,” “Oleo” and “Doxy,” his legacy rests in the singular way in which artistry and abandon coalesced in his playing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
Blacks, most of whom did not work for Swift, coalesced in the narrow strip of land just east of the immigrants, forming the community that came to be known as the Black Belt.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
“People are coalescing and they’re demanding that policymakers make change.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
A battle between gold bugs and bullion bears appeared to be coalescing around the $4,000 an ounce mark on Tuesday, as the precious metal is on track to register its worst quarter in 13 years.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
These deals reflect a growing awareness that issues previously managed separately—such as identity and access management, model security, and security operations—are coalescing into a broader, unified challenge with AI, as agents work across systems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026
At another, the brand's logo transforms into people's arms, before these morph into a coalescing swirl of bodies.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2025
Taisin had felt the city coming as early as two days ago; it was an unmistakable knot of energies coalescing together all at once.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
