Coalesce   (pronounced koh-uh-les) verb


Definition

1. to grow together and form one whole. 2. to unite or come together; to merge, blend, or fuse (different elements) into a single unit, body, or mass.

Other Forms
Coalescence   (pronounced koh-uh-les-ns) noun

Main Example

  • Rarely has any one event coalesced the world at large as did the Sept. 11 attacks. In spite of deep differences with the U.S. over Iraq, the Middle East, and the environment, most of the global community is united with our country in the war against terrorism.

    Workplace Examples

  • Yes, several people were in the running for the sales manager's slot, but now it appears the competition is coalescing on just two guys: Tim and Moe.

  • Everybody agrees we must revamp the facilities, but there are at least a half-dozen ideas floating around on how we can best accomplish this. So the next step is to somehow merge these different notions, coalesce them into one cohesive proposal.

    Other Examples

  • on being asked what should be done to solve a certain problem, you responding, "Give me a little more time. I have lots of ideas but they haven't yet coalesced in my mind."

  • during the recent bull market, a dozen or so stocks far outpacing the NASDAQ index, thanks to the interest of small-stock investors coalescing on just the most visible issues

  • the 1992 movement to elect Ross Perot being a coalescence of the millions of voters disillusioned with the two major parties

  • more than eleven years since his rout in the Gulf War, Saddam Hussein still in power due to the absence of a sufficiently strong coalescence of the many opposing Iraqi factions

    © 2002 V.J. Singal

    This Month's Other Words

    Fillip
    Dissemble
    Indefatigable
    Dearth
    Irksome
    Milieu
    Acrimonious and Acrimony

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