connect

American  

[kuh-nekt] / kəˈnɛkt /

verb (used with object)

1. to join, link, or fasten together; unite or bind.

   to connect the two cities by a bridge; Communication satellites connect the local stations into a network.

   Antonyms:

   sunder, divide

2. to establish communication between; put in communication.

   Operator, will you please connect me with Mr. Jones?

3. to have as an accompanying or associated feature.

   pleasures connected with music.

4. to cause to be associated, as in a personal or business relationship.

   to connect oneself with a group of like-minded persons; Our bank is connected with major foreign banks.

   Antonyms:

   dissociate

5. to associate mentally or emotionally.

   She connects all telegrams with bad news.

6. to link to an electrical or communications system; hook up.

   to connect a telephone.

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verb (used without object)

1. to become connected; join or unite.

   These two parts connect at the sides.

2. (of trains, buses, etc.) to run so as to make connections (often followed bywith ).

   This bus connects with a northbound bus.

3. Informal. to have or establish successful communication; make contact.

   I connected with two new clients today.

4. Informal. to relate to or be in harmony with another person, one's work, etc..

   We knew each other well but never connected.

5. Slang. (of a drug dealer or user) to make direct contact for the illegal sale or purchase of drugs, as narcotics.

6. Sports. to hit successfully or solidly.

   The batter connected for a home run. The boxer connected with a right.

adjective

1. of or relating to a connection or connections.

   connect charges for a new cable television channel.

connect British  

/ kəˈnɛkt /

verb

1. to link or be linked together; join; fasten

2. (tr) to relate or associate

   I connect him with my childhood

3. (tr) to establish telephone communications with or between

4. (intr) to be meaningful or meaningfully related

5. (intr) (of two public vehicles, such as trains or buses) to have the arrival of one timed to occur just before the departure of the other, for the convenient transfer of passengers

6. informal (intr) to hit, punch, kick, etc, solidly

7. informal (intr) to be successful

8. slang (intr) to find a source of drugs, esp illegal drugs

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Usage

What are other ways to say connect?

To connect is to link or fasten together, as two cities by a bridge. How is connect different from join and unite? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

Other Word Forms

• connectability noun
• connectable adjective
• connectibility noun
• connectible adjective
• connector noun
• misconnect verb
• reconnect verb (used with object)
• subconnect verb

Etymology

Origin of connect

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin connectere, equivalent to con- “with, together” + nectere “to tie”; con-, nexus

Explanation

Connect means to join together. When a puzzle piece fits into another, they connect. You might fly to Chicago and then connect to a flight to LA. When you meet someone and feel comfortable with them right away, you connect. The uses of connect continue. A receptionist connects you to the person you want to speak to on the phone. When you are assembling something, you are often told to connect tab A to slot B. When you punch someone, your fist connects with their face. You might not connect a movie with a historical event until your teacher points it out.

Example Sentences

Across the country, regulators, utilities and tech companies are debating how to pay for the infrastructure investments needed to support data centers seeking to connect to the grid.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Member Amy Haynes, 39, from North Somerset, said it had been "positive" having a group to connect with where she can say "actually, I'm not OK".

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

As AI chips grow larger and more complex, demand for the substrates that connect them to devices is soaring.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

The market for optical ports, which connect fiber-optic cables to networking hardware in data centers, is expected to double this year, then double again in 2027, Barclays analyst Tom O’Malley said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

It was like watching a movie with a voice-over narration, but with one great difference: He was manipulating the pieces and speaking so rapidly that it was difficult to connect the moves with his commentary.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• associate
• attach
• hook up
• join
• relate