coincide
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to occupy the same place in space, the same point or period in time, or the same relative position.
The centers of concentric circles coincide. Our vacations coincided this year.
-
to correspond exactly, as in nature, character, etc..
His vocation coincides with his avocation.
-
to agree or concur, as in thought or opinion.
Their opinions always coincide.
- Antonyms:
- contradict, differ
verb
-
to occur or exist simultaneously
-
to be identical in nature, character, etc
-
to agree
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
coincidesimple
-
coincidessimple
-
have coincidedperfect
-
has coincidedperfect
-
am coincidingprogressive
-
are coincidingprogressive
-
is coincidingprogressive
-
have been coincidingperfect progressive
-
has been coincidingperfect progressive
Past
-
coincidedsimple
-
had coincidedperfect
-
was coincidingprogressive
-
were coincidingprogressive
-
had been coincidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of coincide
First recorded in 1635–45; from Medieval Latin coincidere, from Latin co- co- + incidere “to fall upon, befall” ( see incident)
Explanation
When things happen at the same time, they are said to coincide. Often, this is because they're intentionally coordinated — "the bake sale coincided with Parent Day" — but not always. Coincide can also mean happen together in other ways. "My mother's views on appropriate teen fashion do not always coincide with mine" is a tactful way to say she hates your clothes. You could also describe two roads coming together as coinciding — though it's more poetic to talk about when they diverge.
Vocabulary lists containing coincide
Eclipse Vocabulary
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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Latin Love, Vol II: cadere
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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:
Fed tightening cycles are negative for stocks when they start but usually coincide with robust returns over a longer time frame.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Still, those holidays do have the benefit of being either a single day or a collection of days that temporally coincide with winter’s existing holidays.
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026
Those increases coincide with the rise of data centers, which have voracious electricity needs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
The scheme will run until 1 September, to coincide with the school summer holidays.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
It meant a five-hundred-mile drive each way and his arrival had to coincide with the retreating waters.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
"Given that the peak of this barrage coincides with a period of widespread cooling and major shifts in our biosphere, it is tempting to suggest that the former produced the latter," Bottke said.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026
“The challenges that come with marketing are broader, and the opportunity is bigger, and it all coincides with bringing on a world-class leader in DJ.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
The exhibition coincides with Oyer’s fifth portrait book release, which features selections from his extensive archive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Tuesday's verdict coincides with the start of a week of engagements in the UK for Prince Harry, starting with an event in London for the Invictus Games, his charity for injured military veterans.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Thus the centre of gravity of the earth still coincides with the centre of the universe, but its geometrical centre does not.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The latest strikes coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington, where he met Trump at the White House and attended the funeral of US Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent Iran hawk.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
A restaurant owner lost $20,000 in canceled catering contracts last summer, as sweeps across the county coincided with the summer celebration season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
This collapse coincided with a period of major environmental disruption during the most recent glacial period of the late Pleistocene age.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
Unlike the long-term chart, the trend line is nearly flat and the R-squared is zero — showing that higher-carry trades this year have not consistently coincided with greater stock-market sensitivity.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
The judges chosen were Mr. Oliver and an able lawyer: both coincided in my opinion: I carried my point.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Over the years, the S&P 500 and the cross-currency basis swap have moved in lockstep on multiple occasions, with periods of strong hedging demand coinciding with falling U.S. equity prices as liquidity shifted.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Global Citizen staged an all-star show in Central Park coinciding with the fixture.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
A coinciding pattern bringing monsoonal moisture to the area is expected to raise humidity as temperatures rise, which “will make the overall effect of the heat significantly worse,” Cohen said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Baroness Gray was speaking at a panel event organised by the Social Democratic and Labour Party exploring constitutional change, coinciding with the 10-year anniversary of Brexit.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
I felt like the centre of a small circle coinciding with the centre of a much larger one.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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.
