coalesce
Americanverb (used without object)
-
coalesces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
coalesced,
past participle, past
-
coalescing
present participle
-
to grow together or into one body.
The two lakes coalesced into one.
-
to unite so as to form one mass, community, etc..
The various groups coalesced into a crowd.
-
to blend or come together.
Their ideas coalesced into one theory.
verb (used with object)
-
coalesces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
coalesced,
past participle, past
-
coalescing
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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coalescencenoun
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noncoalescencenoun
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coalescentadjective
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noncoalescentadjective
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noncoalescingadjective
-
uncoalescentadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
coalescesimple
-
coalescessimple
-
have coalescedperfect
-
has coalescedperfect
-
am coalescingprogressive
-
are coalescingprogressive
-
is coalescingprogressive
-
have been coalescingperfect progressive
-
has been coalescingperfect progressive
Past
-
coalescedsimple
-
had coalescedperfect
-
was coalescingprogressive
-
were coalescingprogressive
-
had been coalescingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of coalesce
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin coalēscere, equivalent to co- co- + al- (stem of alere “to nourish, make grow”) + -escere -esce
Explanation
Waiting for a plan to come together? You're waiting for it to coalesce. Coalesce is when different elements of something join together and become one. In coalesce, you see co-, which should tell you the word means "together." The other half of the word comes from alescere, a Latin verb meaning "to grow up." So if you are trying to start up a photography club at school, once you have an advisor, some interested students, and support from the administration, things will hopefully coalesce, or come together, to make it happen.
Vocabulary lists containing coalesce
"A Quilt of a Country," Vocabulary from the argument
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Flowers for Algernon
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myPerspectives 9.1
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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:
The coroner said the inquest aimed to give the Pearson family a voice, but added that their concerns "coalesce into two words of rhetoric – 'What if?'"
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
When world economic leaders gather, investors expect them to coalesce around joint challenges and quell rising anxiety in global markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
This is how her Gemini Venus makes all of her multidisciplinary artistic practices coalesce into one cohesive universe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
NWR’s high concepts and their abrasive execution don’t always coalesce.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
In the fourth millennium B.C. those local cultures expanded geographically and began to interact, compete with each other, and coalesce.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Mr. Clayton’s “Finding Ways,” whose triumphant melody coalesces from a loose geometry of intervals, and which relies on tension-and-release, suggests the architecture and motion of music by pianist Andrew Hill, another 1960s Blue Note hero.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 25, 2025
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, who often performs strongly early in sprint weekends before the natural order coalesces later on, was third fastest, 0.386secs off the pace.
From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2025
“Emilia Pérez” coalesces in unpredictable ways, making perfect sense even as its audacious ambitions should seem out of reach.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2024
All of it coalesces the sad moral of the story: these people are small.
From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2023
The group coalesces around the front-runners as Frederick and his pursuers get to their feet, all of them pasted with snow.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Until the opposition coalesced behind Mundubile, re-election had looked all but certain for the 64-year-old Hichilema, widely known as "HH".
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Opposition has also coalesced around religious appeals from a theologically diverse group of residents, leaders and politicians who see data center development as an affront to their most sacred values.
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026
But instead of kicking up dust, breaking bats or throwing fits, the Feeneys coalesced in a green-and-yellow mass behind the dugout.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Though Rollins wrote several tunes now regarded as standards, like “St. Thomas,” “Oleo” and “Doxy,” his legacy rests in the singular way in which artistry and abandon coalesced in his playing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
The Queen’s face wavered before her, coalesced into the image of an old woman, lines cracking from the corners of her eyes and spreading down her cheeks.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
The rout in technology stocks last week has big investors who plan to participate in Anthropic’s IPO coalescing around a lower valuation for the artificial-intelligence giant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
He predicted AI safety coalescing with concerns around the data-center build-out, which is becoming a key sticking point for voters.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
But as I held the shower over my head, suddenly the stream of water turned dark, as long strands of brown hair began coalescing around the plug hole in front of my eyes.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Influential forces in Sacramento had begun coalescing behind the then-Bay Area congressman, including some consultants and advisors close to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
Choices, numberless as grains of sand, had layered and compressed, coalescing into sediment, then into rock, until all was set in stone.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
