concatenate

IPA/kənˈkæt.ə.neɪt/
KK[kənkˈætənˌet]IPA/kənˈkæt̬.ə.neɪt/

concatenate — verb

  • concatenatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • concatenates3rd person singular
  • concatenating-ing form
  • concatenatedpast simple

1. to join separate items end-to-end so that they form one continuous sequence, wit

1.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to join separate items end-to-end so that they form one continuous sequence, with each piece following directly after the previous one.

Example

The editor concatenated the four interview clips into one long recording for the podcast.

concatenate + plural noun + into + singular result

Sivan's program concatenates the customer's first name and last name to build a username.

typical computing collocation: concatenate strings

Common collocations
  • concatenate strings
  • concatenate files
  • concatenate clips
  • concatenate segments
Synonyms
  • link

    much more common; everyday register

  • chain

    emphasises the linear, one-after-another shape of the result

  • join

    general purpose; doesn't require the items to stay in a fixed order

  • string together

    informal phrasal verb with the same end-to-end meaning

Antonyms
  • separate

    to break the chain back into individual items

  • split

    to divide one combined sequence into parts

Grammar Patterns

concatenate + noun (plural / collective)

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person, program, or device that processes items in order; object is almost always plural or a collective noun (clips, files, strings, segments). Rare in everyday speech — most common in computing, editing, and technical writing.

Common Mistakes

I concatenated the two cups of coffee.
I combined the two cups of coffee.
concatenate means joining items end-to-end in a sequence, not mixing things together.
She concatenated her ideas in the meeting.
She linked her ideas together in the meeting.
concatenate is too technical for general speech; use 'link' or 'join together' instead.

concatenate — adjective

Word family

  • concatenation
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Concatenate is the most technical word in this group: it specifically means joining items end-to-end so their original order is preserved in one continuous sequence — common in computing (concatenate strings) and editing (concatenate clips). Link is far more everyday and only requires that two things be connected somehow, with no requirement of a fixed order. Chain is closer to concatenate in image — it emphasises the one-after-another shape — but is more visual and less formal. Join is the most general; it simply means making things become one, with no implication about sequence or chain shape. Combine is broader still, often implying a mixture rather than a sequence: you combine two cups of coffee, but you concatenate two video clips. For everyday writing prefer link or join together; reserve concatenate for technical or editing contexts where the end-to-end shape really matters.

concatenate ↗link ↗chain ↗join ↗combine ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • concatenate into a single
  • be concatenated together

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinLate LatinEnglish

Concatenate comes from Late Latin 'concatenatus', the past participle of 'concatenare', meaning 'to link together as a chain'. The Latin word is built from 'con-' ('together') and 'catena' ('chain') — so the literal sense is 'to chain together'. English borrowed the form in the early 1600s, first as the adjective 'concatenate' and soon afterwards as the verb. The strong sense of items joined in a fixed sequence is still visible today, especially in computing, where programs concatenate strings of text one after another.