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.
-
to make solid or firm; solidify; strengthen.
to consolidate gains.
-
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
-
to form or cause to form into a solid mass or whole; unite or be united
-
to make or become stronger or more stable
-
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
-
consolidatesimple
-
consolidatessimple
-
have consolidatedperfect
-
has consolidatedperfect
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am consolidatingprogressive
-
are consolidatingprogressive
-
is consolidatingprogressive
-
have been consolidatingperfect progressive
-
has been consolidatingperfect progressive
Past
-
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
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The Hunger Games
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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:
"There have been challenges," he said, "but now the government is really trying hard to consolidate the youth. The government is implementing programmes that will really uplift their lives."
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
The amendment would consolidate those seven commissions into a single unified Neighborhood Appeals Commission.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The U.K. bakery chain said Wednesday that the proposal to consolidate its in-house manufacturing activities is the result of a review that aims to ensure it operates in the most cost-efficient manner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
The team also sees more spending on AI infrastructure as enterprises consolidate vendors and cut IT budgets.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Another problem blew up out of Kepler’s eagerness to consolidate his new reputation by associating with other mathematicians and discussing his ideas with them.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
He says that the deal consolidates scalable thermal resources around Cenovus’ Christina Lake area operations, with around C$85 million in synergies identified, which “CVE’s upstream operating expertise could drive upside beyond.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
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
Paramount Skydance plans to redevelop its historic Hollywood studio as it consolidates the vast Warner Bros. and Paramount real estate empires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 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
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
It is not clear whether he can pull this off, given that unlike Rata Tata, he had not consolidated power yet.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
The Singapore dollar consolidated against its U.S. counterpart in the Asian session, but may be weighed by higher oil prices, which are typically negative for currencies of net energy-importing countries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
The TV world may be more fragmented than ever, but it has consolidated around the shows it showers with awards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
The suits were consolidated into a group of related actions against the carmakers in California federal court.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Holt consolidated the parcels and sold them to the federal government for the flying field and laboratory.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
"Most are not investing in the future, but consolidating their past, often expecting policy to continue shielding them from global competition."
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Bondholders recently agreed to consolidating a key Oct.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
Ellison has also promised $6 billion in synergies from the merger, which could come from consolidating tech operations at the streaming services and by eliminating overlapping jobs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
I am in the process of consolidating and rolling over some accounts into a single brokerage company.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
