confluence
Americannoun
-
confluences
plural
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a flowing together of two or more streams, rivers, or the like.
the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.
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their place of junction.
St. Louis is at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.
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a body of water formed by the flowing together of two or more streams, rivers, or the like.
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a coming together of people or things; concourse.
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a crowd or throng; assemblage.
noun
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a merging or flowing together, esp of rivers
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a gathering together, esp of people
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A flowing together of two or more streams or two or more glaciers.
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The point of juncture of such streams or glaciers.
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The combined stream or glacier formed by this juncture.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of confluence
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin confluentia, from Latin confluent-, stem of confluēns “flowing together” ( see confluent) + -ia -ia
Explanation
Confluence means a flowing together. In a literal sense, it's about rivers. But it's more often used to talk about the coming together of factors or ideas, or of cultures in a diverse city. Con- means "with," and -fluence sounds like "flow." When things come together like rivers do, flowing from entirely different places, you call that a confluence. If the senior class needs to raise money for a class trip, and the drama club is looking for someone to do concessions during intermission at the school play, that's a confluence of factors.
Vocabulary lists containing confluence
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100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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com-, con-
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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:
Disney is the parent company of ESPN, and likewise has embraced the game, which feels like a true confluence of the sports and entertainment industries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
The barrier lake, which formed at the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers, has already started to overflow, according to China's Ministry of Water Resources.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Experts point to a confluence of factors that contribute to making buying and renting homes so expensive.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
Analysts pointed to a confluence of bullish factors behind bitcoin’s sharp rise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
She came at last to a confluence of shabby streets which she assumed from the detached quarter of her map was Stockwell.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
In one of pop music’s oddest confluences, future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones sat in on that 1964 recording session, years before the band came together.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2025
Harel's focus on the confluences of Darwin's life rather than its conflicts offers a refreshing take on his legacy.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 15, 2022
So it has a lot of really wonderful confluences.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 5, 2021
Occasions formed confluences with other occasions: social, political, and personal themes that would make "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" more than just a movie.
From Salon ● May 26, 2019
Indeed, the magnificence of some of them who are detached for duty at certain "great confluences of human existence" is such that you see strangers standing and gaping at the giants in sheer amazement.
From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 11, No. 22, January, 1873 by Various
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.
