confluence

American  

[kon-floo-uhns] / ˈkɒn flu əns /

Also conflux

noun

• confluences
  plural

1. a flowing together of two or more streams, rivers, or the like.

   the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

2. their place of junction.

   St. Louis is at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

3. a body of water formed by the flowing together of two or more streams, rivers, or the like.

4. a coming together of people or things; concourse.

   Synonyms:

   meeting, union

5. a crowd or throng; assemblage.

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confluence British  

/ ˈkɒnflʊəns /

noun

1. a merging or flowing together, esp of rivers

2. a gathering together, esp of people

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confluence Scientific  

/ kŏn′flo̅o̅-əns /

1. A flowing together of two or more streams or two or more glaciers.

2. The point of juncture of such streams or glaciers.

3. The combined stream or glacier formed by this juncture.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• confluences
  plural

Etymology

Origin of confluence

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin confluentia, from Latin confluent-, stem of confluēns “flowing together” ( see confluent) + -ia -ia

Explanation

Confluence means a flowing together. In a literal sense, it's about rivers. But it's more often used to talk about the coming together of factors or ideas, or of cultures in a diverse city. Con- means "with," and -fluence sounds like "flow." When things come together like rivers do, flowing from entirely different places, you call that a confluence. If the senior class needs to raise money for a class trip, and the drama club is looking for someone to do concessions during intermission at the school play, that's a confluence of factors.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

confluence confluences

It blamed an "unusual confluence of developments that has impaired investor confidence in the market for new public offerings".

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

“A confluence of forces is leading to certain actions and choices that were considered taboo before now becoming acceptable and even celebrated, and then they spread via social contagion.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

Smith is one of many influencers working overtime to distance themselves from the tradwife brand amid a confluence of cultural tipping points.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026

Disney is the parent company of ESPN, and likewise has embraced the game, which feels like a true confluence of the sports and entertainment industries.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

Eventually we found a suitable spot, still in Chryse but far from the confluence of the four ancient channels.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

In one of pop music’s oddest confluences, future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones sat in on that 1964 recording session, years before the band came together.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2025

Harel's focus on the confluences of Darwin's life rather than its conflicts offers a refreshing take on his legacy.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 15, 2022

The book revels in the confluences, ironies, overlaps and buried stories of the Jewish South.

From New York Times ● Aug. 2, 2022

So it has a lot of really wonderful confluences.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 5, 2021

Indeed, the magnificence of some of them who are detached for duty at certain "great confluences of human existence" is such that you see strangers standing and gaping at the giants in sheer amazement.

From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 11, No. 22, January, 1873 by Various

Related Words

• assemblage
• junction