noun
merger
MUR-jer/ˈmɜːrdʒər/
The combination of formerly separate entities into one.
The merger brings two small companies together as one team.
Etymology
Merge first evoked sinking into something else, then legal absorption in which a separate identity disappeared. Merger carries that absorption image into the joining of organizations as one.
In context
a historic merger. AOL would acquire Time Warner for $165 billion.
More examples
- Shareholders approve the merger of the two banks.
- The merger of two local charities reduces administrative costs.
- A merger of two vowel sounds makes these words sound alike.
Forms
merger · mergers
merge verb — To combine separate things into one.
Similar words
- consolidation
- Emphasizes combining separate parts into a more unified whole.
- union
- Often names the resulting whole rather than the combining process.