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.

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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

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

One consequence of all this consolidation is fewer physicians working in private practice—42% in 2024, down from 60% in 2012.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Having broken out of the consolidation range that held from late June through to Aug. 3, both gold and silver have staged rallies, with gold now testing $4,400 per ounce, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

A failure to clear 7,800 could leave the S&P 500 vulnerable to consolidation or a pullback.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Throughout the history of music, periods of complication and innovation are followed by periods of simplicity and consolidation, which are then in time followed by more complication again.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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

Alum Rock Union enrolls less than half of the students of its peak years in the early 2000s, and a $20-million budget shortfall in the 2024-25 school year resulted in multiple school closures and consolidations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 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

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

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2025

To this purpose, we should strengthen our antitrust laws by closing those loopholes that permit monopolistic mergers and consolidations.

From State of the Union Address by Harry S. Truman

Related Words

• merger
• strengthening
• unification