aggregation

American  

[ag-ri-gey-shuhn] / ˌæg rɪˈgeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. a group or mass of distinct or varied things, persons, etc..

   an aggregation of complainants.

2. collection into an unorganized whole.

3. the state of being so collected.

4. Biology, Ecology. a group of organisms of the same or different species living closely together but less integrated than a society.

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aggregation British  

/ ˌæɡrɪˈɡeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of aggregating

2. ecology dispersion in which the individuals of a species are closer together than if they were randomly dispersed

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Other Word Forms

• reaggregation
  noun
• subaggregation
  noun
• aggregational
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of aggregation

First recorded in 1540–50; from Medieval Latin aggregātiōn-, stem of aggregātiō “a flocking together, gathering”; see aggregate, -ion

Explanation

An aggregation is a collection, or the gathering of things together. Your baseball card collection might represent the aggregation of lots of different types of cards. Aggregation comes from the Latin ad, meaning to, and gregare, meaning herd. So the word was first used to literally mean to herd or to flock. Now it's just refers to anything herded together in a collection or assemblage. If you work in a lab, for example, you may be charged with the aggregation of samples prior to experimentation.

Example Sentences

We’re a diverse people but still a people, not a random aggregation of cosmopolitans.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 6, 2026

If the best fleets can generate their own demand in dense markets, Uber’s aggregation value shrinks to secondary cities and overflow capacity.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026

This suggests that arginine may not only prevent harmful protein aggregation but also protect brain cells more broadly.

From Science Daily • May 4, 2026

That’s because of aggregation: Instead of delivering items to 20 different locations, for example, a company like Happy Returns can send 20 returns together to a single processing facility.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

This is interesting, since a city is the most concentrated aggregation of humans, all exerting whatever influence they can bring to bear.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas