Definition
To coalesce is for separate things to merge into one — from the Latin coalescere, 'to grow together'. Droplets coalesce into a single bead; scattered groups coalesce into a movement; loose ideas coalesce into a theory. The word implies more than gathering: the parts lose their separate edges and become a unified body, the way mercury beads snap into one when they touch. It is the quiet opposite of disperse — convergence carried all the way to fusion.
Examples
- The small streams coalesce into a single river before reaching the sea.
- Over the months, their separate complaints began to coalesce into a coherent demand.
- Dust and gas slowly coalesce under gravity to form a star.
Collocations
coalesce into·coalesce around·gradually coalesce·coalesce into a whole
Synonyms
merge·fuse·unite·consolidate·converge
Antonyms
disperse·fragment·split
Word family
coalescence (noun)·coalescent (adjective)
In TOEFL & IELTS
TOEFL science passages use 'coalesce' literally — droplets, cells, and dust clouds forming stars — while history and politics passages use it figuratively, as factions 'coalesce around' a leader or idea. In IELTS writing, 'opinions coalesce' elegantly describes forming consensus. Note the noun 'coalescence' and the prepositions: coalesce *into* one thing, or *around* a center.