consolidation

American  

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

noun

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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

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

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

The key to this chart is what is known as a “pennant” consolidation pattern that has formed over the past few years, that suggests yields could be headed much higher for longer.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

The next phase of policy might have to be for European and U.S. policy makers to ask China to clean up its own house first and reduce the number of domestic car makers via consolidation.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

The study shows that rainfall consolidation is already happening across much of the western U.S.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

Near-term consolidation, particularly any pullbacks testing the $4,000 level, could be an opportunity to build positions in gold, she adds, given that the market remains underinvested for now.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

True enough, the constitutional arguments represented a consolidation of points made in Philadelphia in 1787 and then in several state ratifying conventions.

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

Related Words

• merger
• strengthening
• unification