Assemble and integrate both bring parts together, with a difference in what follows. Assemble is to fit parts together into a whole, or to gather in one place, in an ordered way. Integrate is to bring parts into a whole so that they work together as one, or to bring someone into full, equal membership. Assemble puts the parts together; integrate makes them work as one.
Both build a whole from parts, but assemble stops at putting them together while integrate makes them function. Assemble, from Latin ad- 'to' and simul 'together', fits parts into a whole or gathers people in one place — a machine, a team. Integrate, from integrare 'to make whole', fits parts so they operate as one system, or brings a person into full membership. You assemble the parts of a machine; you integrate its systems so they run together. One puts the pieces in place; the other makes them work.
assemble
To assemble is to bring parts together in order so they form one built thing — assemble a shelf, assemble an engine — or to bring people together in one place, as a crowd assembles or a committee assembles. From the Latin ad- 'to' and simul 'together'. Assembling is more deliberate than to gather: the parts are fitted in a set order, each in its place, until a working whole stands. What you gather is loose; what you assemble is put together on purpose.
integrate
To integrate is to bring parts together so they function as one whole — from the Latin integrare, 'to make whole'. New software integrates with your calendar; a recruit integrates into a team; separated groups integrate into shared, equal community life. What is integrated stops being an add-on and becomes a working part of the system, the way a gear that meshes lets the whole train turn. It is stronger than to combine: the parts do not just sit together, they work together.
| assemble | integrate | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | fit parts together into a whole; gather | fit parts into one working whole; include |
| The point | to put the parts in place | to make the parts work or belong as one |
| The result | a built, ordered whole | a whole whose parts work together |
| Often with | parts, a team, a crowd, furniture | systems, communities, data, immigrants |
| Noun | assembly | integration |
| Example | Assemble the parts. | Integrate the systems. |
Ask whether the parts are put in place or made to work. Assemble fits parts together into an ordered whole — loose boards locking into a cabinet. Integrate goes further, fitting a part so the whole runs together — a gear dropping in and setting the row turning. If parts are put together into a whole, that is assemble; if they are fitted so they work — or belong — as one, that is integrate.
assemble
- iIt took an hour to assemble the flat-pack shelves.
- iiThe manager assembled a team of specialists.
- iiiA crowd assembled outside the courthouse.
integrate
- iThe company integrated the new software into its systems.
- iiSchools help newcomers integrate into the community.
- iiiThe report integrates data from a dozen sources.
Assemble puts parts together, in order, but does not promise they function; integrate insists the parts work as one, and carries a social sense — integrating people as equals — that assemble lacks. You can assemble a team that never truly integrates. One builds; the other makes the build work.
A useful pair for process and systems writing. Assemble suits building or gathering — 'assemble the components', 'assemble a task force'. Integrate suits making parts work together — 'integrate the software', 'integrate renewable power' — or people joining a society as equals ('help migrants integrate'). Examiners reward the depth: assembly for a putting-together, integration for a working or social whole. The nouns are assembly and integration.