combine
Americanverb (used with object)
-
combines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
combined,
past participle, past
-
combining
present participle
-
to bring into or join in a close union or whole; unite.
She combined the ingredients to make the cake.
They combined the two companies.
- Synonyms:
- amalgamate, compound
- Antonyms:
- separate
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to possess or exhibit in union.
a plan that combines the best features of several other plans.
-
to harvest (grain) with a combine.
verb (used without object)
-
combines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
combined,
past participle, past
-
combining
present participle
-
to unite; coalesce.
The clay combined with the water to form a thick paste.
- Antonyms:
- separate
-
to unite for a common purpose; join forces.
After the two factions combined, they proved invincible.
-
to enter into chemical union.
-
to use a combine in harvesting.
noun
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combines
plural
-
a combination.
-
a combination of persons or groups for the furtherance of their political, commercial, or other interests, as a syndicate, cartel, or trust.
-
a harvesting machine for cutting and threshing grain in the field.
verb
-
to integrate or cause to be integrated; join together
-
to unite or cause to unite to form a chemical compound
-
agriculture to harvest (crops) with a combine harvester
noun
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agriculture short for combine harvester
-
an association of enterprises, esp in order to gain a monopoly of a market
-
an association of business corporations, political parties, sporting clubs, etc, for a common purpose
Usage
What does combine mean? To combine means to join two or more things together into a single unit. When things are combined, they form combinations. Less commonly, combine can also be used as a noun to refer to several different things, especially a grain harvester and an event at which athletes showcase their skills. Example: At the draft combine, scouts are looking for a player who combines strength, agility, and intelligence in a single package.
Synonym Usage
See mix.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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combinabilitynoun
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combinernoun
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recombinernoun
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precombineverb
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recombineverb
-
intercombineverb (used with object)
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combinableadjective
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noncombiningadjective
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uncombiningadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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combinesimple
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combinessimple
-
have combinedperfect
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has combinedperfect
-
am combiningprogressive
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are combiningprogressive
-
is combiningprogressive
-
have been combiningperfect progressive
-
has been combiningperfect progressive
Past
-
combinedsimple
-
had combinedperfect
-
was combiningprogressive
-
were combiningprogressive
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had been combiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of combine
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English combinen, from Middle French combiner, from Late Latin combīnāre, equivalent to com- com- + -bīnāre, verb derived from bīnī “by twos” ( cf. binary)
Explanation
When you put things together, you combine them, creating one out of several. In some cases, the different items blend their properties and cannot be divided again, while in other cases the combined items can be picked out separately. In Latin, the prefix com- means "together," and bīnī means "two by two." These were combined to create the word combīnāre, or "to unite." Comedian Dave Attell offers a good use of the verb combine (cum-BINE): What're the two things they tell you are healthiest to eat? Chicken and fish. You know what you should do? Combine them, eat a penguin. Hiram Moore's combine (the noun is pronounced COM-bine) was a machine that combined reaping, binding, and threshing into one machine, saving farmers a lot of work.
Vocabulary lists containing combine
com-, con-
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Human Geography - Middle School
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Human Geography - High School
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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:
Thompson, a rookie who ran the fastest 40-yard dash in the NFL scouting combine, has impressed with his speed and could be a sleeper contributor in space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Mahadevan sees additional opportunities for using multistability to create fabrics that combine softness, seamless construction and functionality.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
In other words, experts say, the real warning is about what is happening in the Himalayas - and what happens when water, rock, ice and enormous quantities of sediment suddenly combine.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
"A picture is very powerful, and the stories are very powerful, and you combine them together, and those two elements create a society," he said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
“Well, not technically allergic, but they give me digestive issues that, um...You know like when tiny amounts of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane combine with hydrogen sulfide and ammonia in the large intestine?”
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
The format essentially combines the portability of a smartphone with the larger display of a tablet, offering users a bigger screen without carrying a tablet-sized device.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
The acquisition combines Headwater’s low-cost production footprint with Tamarack’s asset base, bringing together more than 1,500 sections of contiguous land across northern Alberta.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
As a musical theater student, Violet was most stoked to see Chappell Roan’s operatic rock show — “we really need a ‘Femininomenon,’” she said, citing Roan’s hit song from 2022, which combines “feminine” and “phenomenon.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
The platform combines a biocompatible polymer matrix with drug-loaded nanocarriers.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026
It coquettishly combines 1920s chutzpah and eighteenth-century courtly dance, quoting along the way actual music by eighteenth-century Italian composers.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
So here they are with taxable-equivalent yields for investors in the highest federal tax bracket, with the Medicare/ACA surcharge, for a combined 40.8%.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
“Those elevated sea levels, when combined with passing weather or storms, can substantially increase flood risk and risk for things like beach erosion,” Amaya said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
Systemwide sales—or the total combined net sales generated by all company-operated and franchised locations—were up 10%, to $1.21 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Instead of attempting to identify and measure one galaxy at a time, astronomers detect the combined radio glow produced by hydrogen in large numbers of galaxies that cannot be individually resolved.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
And on a scale as large as a tectonic plate, a little bit of motion combined with a lot of stickiness can build up an enormous amount of energy.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
“By combining applied AI with decades of sophisticated business rules, regulatory compliance, security models, data models and customer configurations, we enable customers to continuously realize AI’s value,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
I always thought that combining an iPhone and an iPad would mean bigger compromises.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
The tropical moisture is combining with monsoonal moisture that can come into Southern California from the southeast at this time of year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The so-called "Dust Bowl summers" of the 1930s -- especially that of 1936 -- were fueled by drought and extreme heat combining with overplowing across the Great Plains.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
The Gran had left Ravenskill on the very night he’d gone missing, meeting with the Twelve Towns’ council and combining their efforts to try to find him.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
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.
