consolidation

American  

[kuhn-sol-i-dey-shuhn] / kənˌsɒl ɪˈdeɪ ʃən /

noun

• consolidations
  plural

1. an act or instance of combining or consolidating into a single or unified whole; the state of being consolidated; unification.

   Our CEO proposed the consolidation of several departments and the elimination of 10 positions.

2. solidification; strengthening.

   consolidation of principles and beliefs.

3. something resulting from a unification of two or more elements; a consolidated whole.

4. Law. the union of two or more claims or actions at law for trial or appeal.

5. Finance. debt consolidation.

6. Business, Finance.

   1. the combining of several financial accounts into a single one, as when the financial results from two or more businesses are combined into a single statement.

   2. a statutory combination of two or more corporations.

7. Pathology. the process of becoming solid, as the changing of lung tissue from aerated and elastic to firm in certain diseases.

8. Geology. lithification.

9. Physiology. the process by which the brain forms stable, long-lasting memories.

10. Railroads: Now Rare. Consolidation, a steam locomotive having a two-wheeled front truck, eight driving wheels, and no rear truck.

---

consolidation British  

/ kənˌsɒlɪˈdeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of consolidating or state of being consolidated

2. something that is consolidated or integrated

3. law

   1. the combining of two or more actions at law

   2. the combination of a number of Acts of Parliament into one codifying statute

4. geology the process, including compression and cementation, by which a loose deposit is transformed into a hard rock

5. psychol the process in the brain that makes the memory for an event enduring; the process is thought to continue for some time after the event

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonconsolidation
  noun
• preconsolidation
  noun
• reconsolidation
  noun
• unconsolidation
  noun
• consolidative
  adjective
• proconsolidation
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• consolidations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of consolidation

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English consolidacioun “healing by closing up, knitting of bones,” from Late Latin consolidātiōn- (stem of consolidātiō ) “merging of usufruct in property, establishing of ownership, consolidation”; see consolidate -ion

Explanation

In a tough economy, you see a lot of consolidation. This could be smaller businesses joining together or the consolidation of debt, as in combining three credit card payments into one. Anywhere there’s consolidation, there’s merging, joining, and combining. You can see the word solid at the heart of consolidation, and its Latin roots will tell you that it means “to make solid together.” The goal of consolidation is really just that, to combine things in order to make them stronger or more beneficial. If you’re good at art and your friend is good at science, you may want to form a consolidation to take the science fair by storm.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

consolidation consolidations

The former hedge-fund manager said there was fiscal consolidation in the 2025 calendar year, so the deficit dipped to 5.7% of U.S. gross domestic product.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

Both those sectors have seen significant consolidation and investment over the past decade.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

In interviews, she has been unsparing about what she sees as coming next in American media consolidation, warning that a CNN controlled by David Ellison — who purchased Paramount and CBS — would be “tragic.”

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

“My office remains committed to stopping illegal consolidation and protecting a vibrant California economy for businesses that play by the rules.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Similarly, America's emergence as the dominant world power in the 1940s could never have occurred if the United States had not established stable national institutions at the start that permitted the consolidation of the continent.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

But in the past half century of mergers and consolidations, it was briefly a casualty, shuttering in 1985.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Many fear the merger will result in massive job cuts in an industry that has been under siege from consolidations and layoffs.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

Both companies have prominent news channels so the proposed combination is expected to draw intense scrutiny from British regulators who have previously expressed concerns about news diversity amid a wave of media consolidations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

Over time, the large banks’ greater ability to invest in automation could serve as a catalyst for consolidations.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2025

The tissue-changes of diseases existing prior to the attack of influenza, such as old consolidations, tubercle, brown induration, emphysema, and so forth, are of course frequently discovered.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various

Related Words

• merger
• strengthening
• unification