coalesce

/ˌkəʊəˈles/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌkəʊəˈles/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌkō-ə-ˈles/ (ame, mw)

coalesce — verb

  • coalescepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • coalesceshe / she / it
  • coalescedpast simple
  • coalescing-ing form

1. When separate people, groups, ideas, or substances coalesce, they join up and be

1.動詞不及物C1
釋義

When separate people, groups, ideas, or substances coalesce, they join up and become a single, larger whole. Often used of small drops of water merging, of political factions uniting around a shared goal, or of vague plans finally settling into a clear shape.

例句

After hours of debate, the rival farming groups began to coalesce into a single union.

coalesce into [a unified whole] for separate groups merging

Small droplets of water slowly coalesced on the cold window of Stephanie's kitchen.

intransitive use for physical substances merging by contact

同義詞
  • merge

    more everyday; two clear things become one, often planned (companies, files)

  • fuse

    stronger; suggests the parts lose their separate identity (metals, ideas)

  • unite

    common register; emphasises shared purpose more than physical joining

  • amalgamate

    formal/business; usually planned union of organisations

反義詞
  • separate

    general opposite; parts move apart

  • disperse

    specifically for crowds, gases, or droplets breaking up

  • fragment

    stronger; a whole breaks into many small pieces

文法句型

coalesce into [a whole]

coalesce with [another thing]

X and Y coalesce

用法筆記

Subject is almost always plural or a mass noun (groups, factions, droplets, ideas, doubts). Frequently followed by 'into' (naming the resulting whole) or 'around' (naming a person, cause, or principle that becomes the focal point). Rarely used of a single object acting alone.

常見錯誤

❌The team coalesced the two departments.
✅The two departments coalesced into one team.
💡coalesce is intransitive; the things that join are the subject, not the object.
❌Her opinion coalesced overnight.
✅Her scattered opinions coalesced into a clear view overnight.
💡needs a plural or mass subject; one item cannot coalesce by itself.