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
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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
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combinabilitynoun
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combinernoun
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recombinernoun
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precombineverb
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recombineverb
-
intercombineverb (used with object)
-
combinableadjective
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noncombiningadjective
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uncombiningadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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combinesimple
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combinessimple
-
have combinedperfect
-
has combinedperfect
-
am combiningprogressive
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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-
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Human Geography - Middle School
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Human Geography - High School
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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:
Urschel’s paper, titled “On the Growth Factor of Random Matrices,” is one in a deluge of AI-assisted proofs that mathematicians have achieved in this new era when they can combine their genius with supercomputing power.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The Dodgers need four victories in the NLCS, and that rotation clears the way for Skubal and Yamamoto to combine for four starts in the series.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Four studies from MEGATRON, published in the Open Journal of Astrophysics, combine advanced cosmological simulations with detailed models of radiation, chemistry and galaxy formation.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026
The two combine naturally, managing tempo and sharing the responsibility for circulating the ball.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
When there was only one exposure left, Patrolman Mancuso decided to combine two of the props for a dramatic finale.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
In the fields, the cost of diesel needed to run combines as farmers start harvesting soybeans, corn and other crops this month has skyrocketed more than 67 percent since February.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
The work also reflects a broader direction in medicine that combines drugs with advanced biomaterials to control exactly where and how treatments are delivered.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
Fisher designed a 5,000-square-foot studio and home that combines the aesthetics of a downtown artist’s loft and the comforts of a single-family home in the working-class enclave that still offered inexpensive land.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Other options include the additional member system, a hybrid model that combines first-past-the-post with regional party lists that is used to elect members of the Scottish Parliament.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
It coquettishly combines 1920s chutzpah and eighteenth-century courtly dance, quoting along the way actual music by eighteenth-century Italian composers.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
"The combined impact of higher rates and higher energy prices is squeezing household budgets and adding to firms' costs," he says.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
By 1889 it had produced more Ph.D.s than Harvard and Yale combined did during the same period.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
RBC analyst Logan Reich, in a note on Thursday, said the rationale behind a combined Starbucks-Chipotle “isn’t apparent to us given limited overlap between the businesses.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
The combined observations helped establish that the unusual X-ray activity was connected to a compact object merger rather than another type of stellar explosion.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
My En Cognito elective alone is probably worth more than our house and Lita’s combined.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Joe: Ellison didn’t waste any time getting his team in place for the huge task of combining these two companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
"We'll now work to design, test and produce the banknotes, combining the imagery we've announced today with cutting-edge security features and materials science," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Research has found that children raised with an authoritative approach, combining warmth with clear boundaries, tend to achieve better academic results, have higher self-esteem and stronger social skills.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
The researchers say these results provide a foundation for larger clinical trials that can directly test whether combining vitamin D analogs with chemotherapy or other cancer treatments improves survival.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
Thanks to their potential advantage of combining precision with simplicity, alphabets have now been adopted in most areas of the modern world.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
