merge

merge — verb

1. When separate things merge, or you merge them, they come together as one unit or

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveC2
Definition

When separate things merge, or you merge them, they come together as one unit or group.

Example

The two banks announced plans to merge into a single organisation by April.

intransitive: merge into [organisation]

Otis merged the sales and marketing teams to improve communication between departments.

transitive: merge [team] and [team]

Common collocations
  • companies merge
  • departments merge
  • villages merge
  • teams merge
  • files merge
  • data merge
Synonyms
  • combine

    More general; can mean putting things side by side without losing identity, while 'merge' implies becoming one whole

  • unite

    Focuses on shared purpose rather than structural union; 'unite' is more common for people and groups

  • fuse

    Suggests a stronger, more permanent union, as if by melting; often used for materials or high-level corporate deals

  • consolidate

    Means to strengthen an existing structure by bringing parts together, not necessarily forming a new entity

Antonyms
  • separate

    To divide into parts or keep apart

Grammar Patterns

two or more things + merge (intransitive)

second thing + merge with + first thing

merge + into + single result

merge + direct object + into + single result (transitive)

Usage Note

Common in business, computing, and organisational contexts. With companies or groups, 'merge with' is slightly more frequent than 'merge into'; with physical objects or abstract categories, 'merge into' is preferred.

Common Mistakes

The two companies merged together.
The two companies merged.
'Together' is redundant because 'merge' already means come together.
The company merged with another company together.
The company merged with another.
Use either 'merge with' or 'merge together', not both.

2. To move a vehicle you are driving from a side road or slip road into a flow of m

2.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

To move a vehicle you are driving from a side road or slip road into a flow of moving traffic, adjusting your speed so that drivers already on the road do not have to slow down or stop.

Example

Quan looked over his shoulder and sped up to merge onto the busy highway.

merge onto [road/highway]

The sign at the end of the slip road tells drivers when to start merging.

Common collocations
  • merge onto the highway
  • merge into the lane
  • merge with traffic
  • merge from a slip road
Synonyms
  • join

    More general; 'join a queue of traffic' does not carry the specific speed-adjustment meaning of 'merge'

Antonyms
  • pull out

    To move out of a line of traffic

  • exit

    To leave a road or motorway

Grammar Patterns

merge + onto + road/highway/motorway

merge + into + lane

merge + into + traffic

merge + with + traffic

Usage Note

Almost always intransitive; the subject is the driver or the vehicle. 'Merge onto' is used for roads (merge onto the freeway); 'merge into' is used for lanes (merge into the left lane). In American English, 'merge onto' is the most common pattern; British English uses 'merge onto' and 'merge into' more interchangeably.

Common Mistakes

I merged my car into the traffic.
I merged into the traffic.
In the traffic sense, 'merge' is intransitive and does not take a direct object.

3. When two or more things blend together so gradually that you can no longer clear

3.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

When two or more things blend together so gradually that you can no longer clearly tell them apart, or when the boundary between them becomes unclear.

Example

The sounds of the guitar and piano merged into one soft, peaceful melody.

merge into — gradual blending of sounds

In the thick fog, the sea and sky merged into a single sheet of grey.

merge into — physical natural scene

Common collocations
  • colours merge
  • sounds merge
  • cultures merge
  • traditions merge
  • identities merge
  • merge into the background
Synonyms
  • blend

    Very close in meaning; 'blend' often focuses on mixture while 'merge' focuses on the loss of separate identity

  • fuse

    Suggests a more complete union, as if by melting together; stronger and more permanent than 'merge'

  • coalesce

    More formal and literary; suggests things grow together naturally to form a whole

  • melt into

    Often used for visual or sensory blending, like one colour melting into another

Antonyms
  • stand out

    To be clearly separate and noticeable

  • diverge

    To move apart or become different

Grammar Patterns

thing + merge + into + thing

thing and thing + merge + (into one)

thing + merge + with + thing

Usage Note

Typically followed by 'into' (X merges into Y) or used with 'with' (X merges with Y). The subject is often abstract (cultures, identities, emotions) but can also be physical in descriptive or literary writing. Transitive uses are rare for this sense.

Common Mistakes

The two colours merged each other.
The two colours merged into each other.
This sense requires 'into' or 'with' to link the two things; 'merge' without a preposition cannot take a direct object here.
Idioms

merge into the background

idiom

To act in a way that makes people not pay attention to you in a group.

At the party, Tom tried to merge into the background.

Did you see how Sara merged into the background during the meeting?

Word family

  • merger
    nounB2
  • merging
    nounC1
  • merged
    adjectiveC1
  • remerge
    verbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five words describe putting things together, but they differ in how unified the result is and what kind of things are involved. Merge implies that the original parts lose their separate identity and become one new whole — two companies become one, two towns become one. Combine is the most general word; you can combine ingredients in a bowl where each ingredient is still visible, or combine ideas without blending them fully. Unite emphasises coming together for a shared goal or purpose, and is most natural for people, groups, or nations. Fuse suggests a very strong, often permanent union, as if by melting or heat — fused metals cannot be separated easily, and a fused company is tightly integrated. Consolidate means to make an existing structure stronger or more efficient by bringing its parts together, rather than creating a completely new entity. For example, a company can merge with a rival to form a new brand, or consolidate its own departments to cut costs.

merge ↗combine ↗unite ↗fuse ↗consolidate ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • companies
  • teams
  • departments
  • cultures
  • colours
  • sounds

Adverbs

Phrases

  • merge with
  • merge into
  • merge together

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'merge' comes from Latin 'mergere', which meant 'to dip, plunge, or immerse' in liquid. It passed through French 'merger' before entering English in the 1600s, first carrying the sense of being absorbed into something — like a substance dissolving into liquid. By the 1700s and 1800s, the meaning broadened to include any kind of joining together into one, particularly in business and law contexts. The traffic sense developed in the 20th century with the rise of motorways and multi-lane roads.