consolidate
Americanverb (used with object)
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consolidates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
consolidated,
past participle, past
-
consolidating
present participle
-
to bring together (separate parts) into a single or unified whole; unite; combine.
They consolidated their three companies.
-
to discard the unused or unwanted items of and organize the remaining.
She consolidated her home library.
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to make solid or firm; solidify; strengthen.
to consolidate gains.
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Military. to strengthen by rearranging the position of ground combat troops after a successful attack.
verb (used without object)
-
consolidates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
consolidated,
past participle, past
-
consolidating
present participle
-
to unite or combine.
-
to become solid or firm.
adjective
verb
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to form or cause to form into a solid mass or whole; unite or be united
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to make or become stronger or more stable
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military to strengthen or improve one's control over (a situation, force, newly captured area, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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consolidatesimple
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consolidatessimple
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have consolidatedperfect
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has consolidatedperfect
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am consolidatingprogressive
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are consolidatingprogressive
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is consolidatingprogressive
-
have been consolidatingperfect progressive
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has been consolidatingperfect progressive
Past
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consolidatedsimple
-
had consolidatedperfect
-
was consolidatingprogressive
-
were consolidatingprogressive
-
had been consolidatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of consolidate
First recorded in 1505–15; from Latin consolidātus “made solid,” past participle of consolidāre “to make solid,” equivalent to con- + solid + -ate 1
Explanation
Consolidate means to bring together. If you consolidate student loans, you put them all together into one big loan. If you consolidate your childhood toys, you grab them all up and put them in one place. Preferably a toy box. Consolidate comes from the Latin roots com- ("together") and solidare ("to make solid"). So, consolidate is to bring things together to make something solid, stronger, or easier to handle. A general might consolidate his troops, a librarian might consolidate his grammar books, and someone with credit-card debt might consolidate the debt from different cards onto one.
Vocabulary lists containing consolidate
Hamilton
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The Hunger Games
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100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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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:
“These are two ‘best of breed’ builders for the longer term, the two that are most likely to continue to consolidate market share, whether the market is growing or if it remains depressed,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
Paramount agreed not to consolidate U.K. television channels and streaming services and to commission original local children’s content.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Studios revenue increased 16% to $1.3 billion, boosted by Paramount’s television studios and its licensing deals as well as the ability to consolidate revenue from Skydance properties.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Beijing would also consolidate its seven current London sites into one, "bringing clear security advantages," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Castro oversaw the defense of the Bay of Pigs personally, and, far from threatening his hold on Cuba, the botched invasion helped consolidate his power.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
DeepMind’s recent departures actually seem like a bullish indicator for Gemini’s capabilities as the organization consolidates its focus on commercial applications, according to Zinger.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
The deal consolidates more of the exchange business under ICE and is the NYSE’s latest effort to add asset classes to diversify beyond stocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
When we are asleep, our brain consolidates the memories of the day, processes emotions, and solves problems that defied it in the waking hours.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
On the other, Ellison consolidates content production across multiple major networks.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
In astronomy this is true; but in all the other fields of scientific enquiry the word consolidates a conceptual revolution.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Asian currencies consolidated against the dollar as traders parsed the U.S.’s new measures on Iran.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
In the years since their fighters swept into Kabul on 15 August 2021, they've grown in confidence and consolidated control despite intermittent attacks by armed opposition groups based abroad, as well as Islamic State fighters.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
“When capital returned, they were better businesses and consolidated and more efficient,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Fans consolidated in the right field stands as Ohtani warmed up by throwing a weighted plyo ball against the back wall of the visitor’s bullpen and then returned to the outfield to play catch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
For it purported to create a consolidated federal government with powers sufficient to coerce obedience to national laws—in effect, to discipline a truly continental union—while remaining true to the republican principles of 1776.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
One of the goals of the merger is to shave costs by consolidating overlapping business divisions and back-office functions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Experts have warned consolidating in this way means that if one centre is badly affected, the impact is much broader.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
These actions included things like changing the title on bank accounts and other property, redirecting household bills, canceling credit cards, consolidating retirement accounts, making Roth conversions and giving away money.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
It would expand U.S.-Israel cooperation in missile and drone defense, anti-tunneling, cyber warfare and AI, while consolidating existing programs to promote accountability.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Since coming to power in 1933, Hitler and the Nazis wasted no time in consolidating control, silencing their opponents, and beginning the campaign to reestablish Germany as a dominant world power.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
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.
