join
Americanverb (used with object)
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joins,
present (3rd person singular)
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joined,
past participle, past
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joining
present participle
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to bring in contact, connect, or bring or put together.
to join hands; to join pages with a staple.
- Synonyms:
- amalgamate, consolidate, associate, combine, conjoin, attach, fasten, couple, link
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to come into contact or union with.
The brook joins the river.
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to bring together in a particular relation or for a specific purpose, action, etc.; unite.
to join forces against the smugglers.
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to become a member of (an organization, party, etc.).
to join a club.
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to enlist in (one of the armed forces).
to join the Navy.
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to come into the company of; meet or accompany.
I'll join you later.
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to participate with (someone) in some act or activity.
My wife joins me in thanking you for the gift.
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to unite in marriage.
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to meet or engage in (battle, conflict, etc.).
The opposing armies joined battle.
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to adjoin; meet.
His land joins mine.
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to draw a curve or straight line between.
to join two points on a graph.
verb (used without object)
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joins,
present (3rd person singular)
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joined,
past participle, past
-
joining
present participle
-
to come into or be in contact or connection.
a place where cliffs and sea join.
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to become united, associated, or combined; associate or ally oneself; participate (usually followed bywith ).
Please join with us in our campaign.
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to take part with others (often followed byin ).
Let's all join in.
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to be contiguous or close; lie or come together; form a junction.
Our farms join along the river.
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to enlist in one of the armed forces (often followed byup ).
He joined up to fight for his country.
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to meet in battle or conflict.
verb
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to come or bring together; connect
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to become a member of (a club, organization, etc)
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to become associated or allied
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to take part
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(tr) to meet (someone) as a companion
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(tr) to become part of; take a place in or with
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(tr) to unite (two people) in marriage
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(tr) geometry to connect with a straight line or a curve
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(tr) an informal word for adjoin
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to start fighting
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to report for work after a period of leave or a strike
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to hold one's own hands together
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(of two people) to hold each other's hands
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(usually foll by with) to work together in an enterprise or task
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noun
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a joint; seam
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the act of joining
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maths another name for union
Usage
What are other ways to say join?
To join is to bring in contact, connect, or bring together. How is join different from connect and unite? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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misjoinverb
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unjoinverb
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underjoinverb (used with object)
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joinableadjective
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unjoinableadjective
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well-joinedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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joinsimple
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joinssimple
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have joinedperfect
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has joinedperfect
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am joiningprogressive
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are joiningprogressive
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is joiningprogressive
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have been joiningperfect progressive
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has been joiningperfect progressive
Past
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joinedsimple
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had joinedperfect
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was joiningprogressive
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were joiningprogressive
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had been joiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of join
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English joinen, from Old French joign- (stem of joindre “to join”), from Latin jungere “to join”; see yoke 1 ( def. )
Explanation
To join is to connect, attach, or become a member of. You could join two puzzle pieces together or join the Girl Scouts; it's your choice. You can join two plastic tubes to make a long tunnel for your pet hamster, and you can also join a club — in other words, become a member or a part of the group. You can also join in with a song or join the staff of a swimming pool as a lifeguard. Join comes from the Old French word joindre, "connect or unite," from the Latin root iungere, "to join together, unite, or yoke."
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:
Anyone not diving was invited to join the litter-picking team along the riverbank, where waste was also collected.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Some industry officials informed about Xi’s U.S. trip had expected China to put together a delegation of top executives to join Xi, people familiar with the matter said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Unless iPhone users exclude themselves from the settlement class, they won’t be able to sue Apple or join any lawsuit against the company based on the claims in the case.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
When we’ve done that, we’ll join the rest of the universe in exploring the stars.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
I grabbed my coat and went to join Etty.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Nerys Amber-Stocks, best known for appearing in Out There and Mammoth, joins the cast as Mary's housemaid Lucy.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
The newly identified Diplodocus therefore joins an already impressive collection of enormous sauropods known from the Spanish Jurassic.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
Then, Director of Data Journalism Rob Barry joins Deputy Editor in Chief Aja Whitaker-Moore to explore how WSJ is using AI to measure public sentiment and online conversation about the election.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Amsler joins former New Orleans Pelicans executive Rohan Ramadas as assistant general managers hired this offseason.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
I stand and Scrappy joins me in mean mugging Dalton.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
The badass riffs in this particular case are courtesy of Roman Morello, the 15-year-old son of our interviewee, who joined his dad’s band when he was 13.
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
Academy product George Hemmings, who joined Villa from Forest as a teenager, has started the season well to earn Emery's full trust and start ahead of Garnacho.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Dodgers two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell joined them one day in Miami, catching De Paula’s throws in early work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Van joined the precious metals assets platform in June of last year, and brings to the role over 25 years of accounting, audit and financial leadership experience.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Leah took her place at the table, Kate sat opposite, and three of the six believers joined them.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Tad Devine, who served as a top strategist for mainstream Democrats for decades before joining Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential bid, knows the mechanisms inside and out.
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
Juris Jurašs, who served as a Latvian lawmaker before joining the Ukrainian military as a reconnaissance company commander in 2022, chuckled when he heard about the exercise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
The London councils Kensington & Chelsea, Westminster and Hammersmith & Fulham are considering joining Wandsworth in using the Sustainable Communities Act to challenge the cuts.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Prior to joining the Journal, he covered the business of sports for Bloomberg News in New York and worked as an outdoors writer on Louisiana's coast at the Times-Picayune in New Orleans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Ten...nine...eight...A bright yellow spark hissed, right at the bridge of skin joining the two halves of the grape.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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.
