coalesce

American  

[koh-uh-les] / ˌkoʊ əˈlɛs /

verb (used without object)

coalesced, coalescing

1. to grow together or into one body.

   The two lakes coalesced into one.

   Synonyms:

   join, combine, unite

2. to unite so as to form one mass, community, etc..

   The various groups coalesced into a crowd.

   Synonyms:

   merge, blend, fuse, amalgamate, join, combine, unite

3. to blend or come together.

   Their ideas coalesced into one theory.

---

verb (used with object)

coalesced, coalescing

1. to cause to unite in one body or mass.

coalesce British  

/ ˌkəʊəˈlɛs /

verb

1. (intr) to unite or come together in one body or mass; merge; fuse; blend

---

Other Word Forms

• coalescence noun
• coalescent adjective
• noncoalescence noun
• noncoalescent adjective
• noncoalescing adjective
• uncoalescent adjective

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

Example Sentences

Party leaders did coalesce behind one of the Democrats running to replace Pelosi, Scott Wiener, a liberal state senator who is vying be the first openly gay person to represent San Francisco in Congress.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026

As entertainment media become dominant, they naturally coalesce around formats best suited for the technology and business model.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

In the 14 December run-off, voters will have to coalesce around one of these two candidates.

From BBC • Nov. 16, 2025

Paintings and sculptures come to life in various amusing ways, and the characters finally coalesce into François Gérard’s 1827 painting of Charles X’s coronation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 1, 2025

About 300,000 years after their appearance, matter and energy started to coalesce into complex structures, called atoms, which then combined into molecules.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Related Words

• consolidate
• fuse
• integrate
• unite