confluence

American  

[kon-floo-uhns] / ˈkɒn flu əns /

Also conflux

noun

1. a flowing together of two or more streams, rivers, or the like.

   the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

2. their place of junction.

   St. Louis is at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

3. a body of water formed by the flowing together of two or more streams, rivers, or the like.

4. a coming together of people or things; concourse.

   Synonyms:

   meeting, union

5. a crowd or throng; assemblage.

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confluence British  

/ ˈkɒnflʊəns, ˈkɒnflʌks /

noun

1. a merging or flowing together, esp of rivers

2. a gathering together, esp of people

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confluence Scientific  

/ kŏn′flo̅o̅-əns /

1. A flowing together of two or more streams or two or more glaciers.

2. The point of juncture of such streams or glaciers.

3. The combined stream or glacier formed by this juncture.

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Etymology

Origin of confluence

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin confluentia, from Latin confluent-, stem of confluēns “flowing together” ( confluent ) + -ia -ia

Explanation

Confluence means a flowing together. In a literal sense, it's about rivers. But it's more often used to talk about the coming together of factors or ideas, or of cultures in a diverse city. Con- means "with," and -fluence sounds like "flow." When things come together like rivers do, flowing from entirely different places, you call that a confluence. If the senior class needs to raise money for a class trip, and the drama club is looking for someone to do concessions during intermission at the school play, that's a confluence of factors.

Example Sentences

Khartoum, a metropolis of 7 million, sits at the confluence of tributaries, a sort of Pittsburgh-on-the-Nile.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

The confluence of these three developments — oil above $100 a barrel, a 2-year yield above the fed funds rate, and a bear-steepening dynamic in the bond market — is making some investors nervous.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

But in Mark Oppenheimer’s “Judy Blume: A Life,” her meteoric rise appears fueled by a confluence of fortune that would have been unlikely at any other moment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

This system worked well until 2019, when a confluence of corporate tax payments and Treasury settlements triggered a scramble for cash.

From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026

It stands to reason, then, that somewhere along that street should be a spot corresponding to the ancient city’s main crossing, the confluence of the Street of the Soma and the east—west-running Canopic Way.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

Related Words

• assemblage
• junction