consolidate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
-
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
Goïta named himself defence minister shortly after, in an apparent attempt to consolidate his already considerable power.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 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
Beijing would also consolidate its seven current London sites into one, "bringing clear security advantages," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
The chief task facing the next several generations was to consolidate control of the North American continent.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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
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
The transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of the year, consolidates full ownership of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC and the Scotiabank Arena under Rogers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 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
However, he was beaten to first by Norris, who consolidated the first place he had picked up on the first laps in the final session, and then Russell.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
“When capital returned, they were better businesses and consolidated and more efficient,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
It also moved to restrict eligibility based on immigration status, which was temporarily blocked by a federal judge, and consolidated Head Start’s regional offices, leading to the layoffs of scores of workers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Eventually, Stevens consolidated establishment and centrist support, while El-Sayed consolidated progressives.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
She was quiet for a moment, thinking, Jesse decided, about her former school, which he saw as bright and new with a gleaming gymnasium larger than the one at the consolidated high school.
From "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson
The third slot remains up for grabs, with neither Josh Tongue nor Saqib Mahmood consolidating their place in the side.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Paramount has said much of the savings will come from consolidating streaming services’ technology platforms and eliminating overlapping operations with Warner, a process expected to result in significant job cuts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
A free-standing NBCUniversal would likely be seen as an acquisition target, as media companies have been consolidating in an effort to get more content and mass distribution for their streaming services.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Comcast’s action immediately prompted speculation that more deals could be coming in the consolidating media business.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
With his passing, he evaded the overwhelming consequence of his success: the challenge of consolidating a polyglot empire unprecedented in size and comprising peoples who, by and large, despised each other.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
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.
