coalesce
Americanverb (used without object)
-
coalesces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
coalesced,
past participle, past
-
coalescing
present participle
-
to grow together or into one body.
The two lakes coalesced into one.
-
to unite so as to form one mass, community, etc..
The various groups coalesced into a crowd.
-
to blend or come together.
Their ideas coalesced into one theory.
verb (used with object)
-
coalesces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
coalesced,
past participle, past
-
coalescing
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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coalescencenoun
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noncoalescencenoun
-
coalescentadjective
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noncoalescentadjective
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noncoalescingadjective
-
uncoalescentadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
coalescesimple
-
coalescessimple
-
have coalescedperfect
-
has coalescedperfect
-
am coalescingprogressive
-
are coalescingprogressive
-
is coalescingprogressive
-
have been coalescingperfect progressive
-
has been coalescingperfect progressive
Past
-
coalescedsimple
-
had coalescedperfect
-
was coalescingprogressive
-
were coalescingprogressive
-
had been coalescingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
Waiting for a plan to come together? You're waiting for it to coalesce. Coalesce is when different elements of something join together and become one. In coalesce, you see co-, which should tell you the word means "together." The other half of the word comes from alescere, a Latin verb meaning "to grow up." So if you are trying to start up a photography club at school, once you have an advisor, some interested students, and support from the administration, things will hopefully coalesce, or come together, to make it happen.
Vocabulary lists containing coalesce
"A Quilt of a Country," Vocabulary from the argument
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Flowers for Algernon
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myPerspectives 9.1
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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.
See Examples For:
Traditionally, the summit is held to bring together the top financial ministers and find a way for them to coalesce around joint challenges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
What is true today, as potential bidders for the Dodgers lurk and coalesce amid L.A.’s turn at uncertainty, is that the Padres have an energetic and effervescent couple as their new principal owners.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
What the polls generally failed to foresee—and arguably shouldn’t have been expected to, given the fluctuating field—was that just enough voters would ultimately coalesce behind Crowley to put him over the top.
From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2026
She is concerned, however, that it will be difficult for voters to coalesce around any new candidate in just three months.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
But if you looked closely, like Rishi was doing, it all began to coalesce into this design.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
Mr. Clayton’s “Finding Ways,” whose triumphant melody coalesces from a loose geometry of intervals, and which relies on tension-and-release, suggests the architecture and motion of music by pianist Andrew Hill, another 1960s Blue Note hero.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 25, 2025
But IndieWire's Caleb Hammond said: "While this version contains its fair share of standout sequences along with Oscar-ready performances, the film never fully coalesces into an effective, singular, emotional narrative."
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2024
“Emilia Pérez” coalesces in unpredictable ways, making perfect sense even as its audacious ambitions should seem out of reach.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2024
All of it coalesces the sad moral of the story: these people are small.
From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2023
The group coalesces around the front-runners as Frederick and his pursuers get to their feet, all of them pasted with snow.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Opposition has also coalesced around religious appeals from a theologically diverse group of residents, leaders and politicians who see data center development as an affront to their most sacred values.
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026
Cabinet reshuffles require parliamentary approval -- although lawmakers have largely coalesced around Zelensky since Russia's invasion, and do not typically block his agenda.
From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026
But instead of kicking up dust, breaking bats or throwing fits, the Feeneys coalesced in a green-and-yellow mass behind the dugout.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Several of those donors then coalesced behind former Biden Cabinet member Xavier Becerra, who was struggling to connect with California voters before he surged to become a front-runner, recent opininon polls show.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
A gray haze in the rosy distance that suddenly coalesced and blackened over the house before it plummeted through the History-hole like smoke in a film running backwards.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
He predicted AI safety coalescing with concerns around the data-center build-out, which is becoming a key sticking point for voters.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
But as I held the shower over my head, suddenly the stream of water turned dark, as long strands of brown hair began coalescing around the plug hole in front of my eyes.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
“There were tiny lakes that started collapsing, coalescing and becoming one big, larger lake,” said Haritashya.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
Though tech funders appear to be coalescing around the Silicon Valley mayor, he is “not going to come out of the gate lighting the campaign on fire because no one knows him,” Acosta said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2026
As they spoke, the smoke seemed to be coalescing into some sort of shape, almost like...almost like a body, a torso.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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