combine
Americanverb (used with object)
-
combines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
combined,
past participle, past
-
combining
present participle
-
to bring into or join in a close union or whole; unite.
She combined the ingredients to make the cake.
They combined the two companies.
- Synonyms:
- amalgamate, compound
- Antonyms:
- separate
-
to possess or exhibit in union.
a plan that combines the best features of several other plans.
-
to harvest (grain) with a combine.
verb (used without object)
-
combines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
combined,
past participle, past
-
combining
present participle
-
to unite; coalesce.
The clay combined with the water to form a thick paste.
- Antonyms:
- separate
-
to unite for a common purpose; join forces.
After the two factions combined, they proved invincible.
-
to enter into chemical union.
-
to use a combine in harvesting.
noun
-
combines
plural
-
a combination.
-
a combination of persons or groups for the furtherance of their political, commercial, or other interests, as a syndicate, cartel, or trust.
-
a harvesting machine for cutting and threshing grain in the field.
verb
-
to integrate or cause to be integrated; join together
-
to unite or cause to unite to form a chemical compound
-
agriculture to harvest (crops) with a combine harvester
noun
-
agriculture short for combine harvester
-
an association of enterprises, esp in order to gain a monopoly of a market
-
an association of business corporations, political parties, sporting clubs, etc, for a common purpose
Usage
What does combine mean? To combine means to join two or more things together into a single unit. When things are combined, they form combinations. Less commonly, combine can also be used as a noun to refer to several different things, especially a grain harvester and an event at which athletes showcase their skills. Example: At the draft combine, scouts are looking for a player who combines strength, agility, and intelligence in a single package.
Synonym Usage
See mix.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
combinabilitynoun
-
combinernoun
-
recombinernoun
-
precombineverb
-
recombineverb
-
intercombineverb (used with object)
-
combinableadjective
-
noncombiningadjective
-
uncombiningadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
combinesimple
-
combinessimple
-
have combinedperfect
-
has combinedperfect
-
am combiningprogressive
-
are combiningprogressive
-
is combiningprogressive
-
have been combiningperfect progressive
-
has been combiningperfect progressive
Past
-
combinedsimple
-
had combinedperfect
-
was combiningprogressive
-
were combiningprogressive
-
had been combiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of combine
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English combinen, from Middle French combiner, from Late Latin combīnāre, equivalent to com- com- + -bīnāre, verb derived from bīnī “by twos” ( cf. binary)
Explanation
When you put things together, you combine them, creating one out of several. In some cases, the different items blend their properties and cannot be divided again, while in other cases the combined items can be picked out separately. In Latin, the prefix com- means "together," and bīnī means "two by two." These were combined to create the word combīnāre, or "to unite." Comedian Dave Attell offers a good use of the verb combine (cum-BINE): What're the two things they tell you are healthiest to eat? Chicken and fish. You know what you should do? Combine them, eat a penguin. Hiram Moore's combine (the noun is pronounced COM-bine) was a machine that combined reaping, binding, and threshing into one machine, saving farmers a lot of work.
Vocabulary lists containing combine
com-, con-
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Human Geography - Middle School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Human Geography - High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
It wasn’t immediately clear how or if Ergen plans to coordinate or combine the operations of MobileX and Boost Mobile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Future studies will take a more dog-centered approach to explore how dogs combine different brain signals when trying to understand the people around them.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
King performed well at the NFL scouting combine earlier this year, running the 40-yard dash in a blistering 4.46 seconds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Early mixed-media pieces that combine articles of clothing and faux bricks feel unpolished, and other sculptures—oversize ice pops and a spring-mounted playground unicorn—are as superficial as his more iconic paintings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Finally the rain stopped and the fields dried up and Dad and Matthew and Mark went back to their combine and tractors, acres away from the house.
From "Among the Hidden" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The deal combines Charter’s 31 million customers with Cox’s six million to create the nation’s largest internet and video provider by subscriber base, spanning homes and businesses around the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The dataset combines observations from satellites operated by multiple countries, weather stations on land, at sea and in the air, together with climate modelling.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Published in the Journal of Studies of Earth's Deep Interior, the study combines ground-based observations with satellite measurements collected from 1997 through 2025.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
They used a risk calculator called Boadicea that combines factors such as family history, lifestyle, reproductive history and genetic information to give a risk score.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Rather than a system, Schulwerk combines instruments, singing, movement, and speech to develop children’s innate musical abilities.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
The Amazon.com founder, one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, owns three properties on Indian Creek island and has spent about $234 million combined to acquire them, public records show.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Tongue removed both Marsh and Crawley before he combined with Sonny Baker to tear through the middle order, the latter finishing with 2-39, while Sunrisers opener Ryan Rickelton was left stranded on 54 not out.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Although each was associated with a higher risk of death on its own, the combined effect was substantially greater.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
We also expect to receive approximately $9,000 in interest income this year from our bank accounts and CDs, which total about $280,000 combined.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Along the way, though, he managed, as we shall see, to pack even more into his life than Hooke and Newton combined.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
By combining these new southern observations with data gathered in the north, SDSS-V is bringing panoptic spectroscopy across both hemispheres.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
At Vallecas, Chavarria developed into a dependable top-flight full-back, combining defensive aggression with the physicality required to succeed in the role.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
“By combining Curaleaf’s global distribution platform with Aurora’s leading international medical cannabis franchise and EU-GMP cultivation and manufacturing capacity, we see significant potential to unlock value through substantial cost and revenue synergies,” Jordan said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
So far for the second quarter, S&P 500 companies have notched 50.4% earnings growth in aggregate, when combining estimates and actual results, according to the FactSet report.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 9, 2026
The syllogism is a way of combining two premises and drawing a fresh conclusion that follows logically from them.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
