cohere
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to stick together; be united; hold fast, as parts of the same mass.
The particles of wet flour cohered to form a paste.
-
Physics. (of two or more similar substances) to be united within a body by the action of molecular forces.
-
to be naturally or logically connected.
Without sound reasoning no argument will cohere.
- Synonyms:
- follow
-
to agree; be congruous.
Her account of the incident cohered with his.
verb
-
to hold or stick firmly together
-
to be connected logically; be consistent
-
physics to be held together by the action of molecular forces
Related Words
See stick 2.
Etymology
Origin of cohere
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin cohaerēre, equivalent to co- co- + haerēre “to stick, cling”
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.
The stories, likewise, are quasiparables, gesturing toward revelations that never quite cohere.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025
A series of seemingly disconnected stories featuring vivid characters cohere into a brilliant and fractured narrative.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025
"This has not happened before, with one department, one unit and one person having the responsibility to cohere and to coordinate the system," he added.
From BBC • Nov. 20, 2024
But the elements never quite cohere in “Freud’s Last Session.”
From Seattle Times • Jan. 17, 2024
Boyle was desperate to show that polished marble plates would cease to cohere in a vacuum because Galileo had said as much.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
