merge
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to cause to combine or coalesce; unite.
- Synonyms:
- consolidate, amalgamate
-
to combine, blend, or unite gradually so as to blur the individuality or individual identity of.
They voted to merge the two branch offices into a single unit.
- Synonyms:
- consolidate, amalgamate
verb (used without object)
-
to become combined, united, swallowed up, or absorbed; lose identity by uniting or blending (often followed by in orinto ).
This stream merges into the river up ahead.
- Synonyms:
- consolidate, amalgamate
-
to combine or unite into a single enterprise, organization, body, etc..
The two firms merged last year.
verb
-
to meet and join or cause to meet and join
-
to blend or cause to blend; fuse
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of merge
First recorded in 1630–40, merge is from the Latin word mergere to dip, immerse, plunge into water
Explanation
The verb merge means to seamlessly join something. For example, when you merge onto the highway, you need to smoothly join the traffic, forgetting everything you learned riding the bumper cars at the fair. If two or more things become one, they merge. If your favorite deli, The Cheese Stop, merges with a sandwich shop called Chez Lui, the two restaurants might also merge their names, becoming Chez Cheese. You can also use merge when things only appear to blend. You know it's time to go to sleep when the words in your book begin to merge together.
Vocabulary lists containing merge
"Names/Nombres" by Julia Alvarez
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Ghost Boys
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Business, List 3
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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.
"Black holes provide a mechanism to enhance this density, which we can now search for by analyzing the gravitational waves emitted when they merge."
From Science Daily • May 19, 2026
South Korea’s largest internet-platform company, Naver, said in November that its fintech affiliate, Naver Financial, and Dunamu had agreed to merge through a stock swap, subject to approval by shareholders and financial regulators.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
In 2022, Spirit announced plans to merge in a $3.8 billion deal with JetBlue, its somewhat larger and more expensive low-cost competitor.
From Slate • May 5, 2026
Several analysts have also commented on the possibility that SpaceX could eventually merge with Tesla, which would likely help Musk solidify his control over both companies.
From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026
In August 1563, for example, a conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter took place—a rare astronomical event in which the two planets are so close together on the sky that they seem to merge.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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.
