consolidate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to bring together (separate parts) into a single or unified whole; unite; combine.
They consolidated their three companies.
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to discard the unused or unwanted items of and organize the remaining.
She consolidated her home library.
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to make solid or firm; solidify; strengthen.
to consolidate gains.
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Military. to strengthen by rearranging the position of ground combat troops after a successful attack.
verb (used without object)
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to unite or combine.
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to become solid or firm.
adjective
verb
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to form or cause to form into a solid mass or whole; unite or be united
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to make or become stronger or more stable
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military to strengthen or improve one's control over (a situation, force, newly captured area, etc)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of consolidate
First recorded in 1505–15; from Latin consolidātus “made solid,” past participle of consolidāre “to make solid,” equivalent to con- + solid + -ate 1
Explanation
Consolidate means to bring together. If you consolidate student loans, you put them all together into one big loan. If you consolidate your childhood toys, you grab them all up and put them in one place. Preferably a toy box. Consolidate comes from the Latin roots com- ("together") and solidare ("to make solid"). So, consolidate is to bring things together to make something solid, stronger, or easier to handle. A general might consolidate his troops, a librarian might consolidate his grammar books, and someone with credit-card debt might consolidate the debt from different cards onto one.
Vocabulary lists containing consolidate
Hamilton
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The Hunger Games
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100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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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.
Another common-sense reform: Consolidate duplicative school districts and their bureaucratic officials.
From Washington Post • Jun. 22, 2022
Consolidate these into your favorites, reducing your monthly administrative time and costs.
From Washington Post • Jun. 5, 2015
New Products, Apple Deal Win Could Consolidate AMD’s Position AMD recently released its Radeon HD 6990 graphics cards, which is supposed to be the fastest graphics card yet.
From Forbes • Mar. 28, 2011
The bill, therefore, amounts to a statement to the roads, "Consolidate, or we will consolidate you ourselves."
From Time Magazine Archive
“We need to go and speak to the sheriff, convince him to barricade the town before it’s overrun. Consolidate everyone into a few defensible buildings. We’re too vulnerable, waiting for the next attack.”
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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.
