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to cohere

to cohere

3 6.2
To stick together to form one unit, like parts of a machine or ideas in a plan
  • verb
  • /koʊˈhɪr/
translation icon : cohesionar
  • Her arguments didn't cohere, leaving the audience confused about her main point.
  • make the paragraph cohere
  • parts cohere

There is no way that a democratic system can cohere without that.

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Examples

  • When planning the event, it is important for all the details to cohere for a seamless experience.

  • The stories of Six Problems nevertheless cohere to produce the dialectics of sense required by the detective genre.

    Academic text (1994)
  • In these cases, religion provides the identity that makes a community cohere and links it with a particular place.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Or will it beat the odds and cohere into something that looks like democracy?

    Blog text (19)
  • The landscape is additionally a mass whose parts cohere and relate, but in obfuscated ways.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Say we've shown that a people can endure awful sacrifice and yet cohere.

  • Moreover, art is meant to cohere with the other "cutting-edge" models of reality provided by the various contemporaneous disciplines.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Rather, it is the idea of Palestine, ironically the absence of a physical place, that coheres a Palestinian national identity.

    Academic text (1996)
  • There are a few passages in Bolzano's writings that seem to cohere with these corollaries, especially with the second one.

    Academic text (2016)
  • The inclusive social ethic of Caritas and the synod coheres with a theology in which salvation touches people in many faiths.

    Academic text (2010)

Synonyms

to unite
vsto cohere
2.1

To join people or things into one group for a shared purpose

is about fitting parts into a unified whole rather than joining for purpose
to stick
vsto cohere
769 1.0

To attach something to a surface or push it into with a point

also covers abstract fitting in ideas or design, not only physical attaching
to connect
vsto cohere
278 1.1

Join two things so they form one piece

emphasizes fitting into a unified whole rather than simple linking
to cling
vsto cohere
240 2.1

To hold on tightly to someone or something and not let go

focuses on forming a unified whole rather than the act of holding on tightly
to hold together
vsto cohere
90 3.4

Keep parts or people joined and working as one

describes fitting or joining into a whole rather than only keeping unity
to unify
vsto cohere
65 3.7

To bring people or things together into one group

focuses on fitting parts into a coherent whole rather than mere grouping
to pull together
vsto cohere
50 3.4

Gather people or things and organize them to reach a goal

is about forming a unified whole rather than organizing people for tasks
to adhere
vsto cohere
17 5.2

To stick firmly to a surface such as glass or plastic

is broader, applying to ideas and organization as well as physical sticking
to interlock
vsto cohere
15 4.1

To join parts so they fit tightly and move together

does not require the tight locked joining that the other term implies
to dovetail
vsto cohere
11 6.7

To fit things together so they work well and match

is about fitting into a single whole rather than perfect matching
to mesh with
vsto cohere
10 4.7

Fit well together so they work without problems

is more general, focusing on forming one unified whole
to link up
vsto cohere
  • Informal
9 3.0

To join people, places, or things so they become connected

is a more neutral or formal term for fitting into a single whole
to cleave
vsto cohere
  • Literature
7 7.5

To stay very close to someone or something, often for support

describes fitting into a single whole rather than faithful attachment or loyalty
to amalgamate
vsto cohere
  • Formal
4 7.4

To join several groups or parts to make one

is more about fitting or arranging parts into one whole rather than merging
to grow together
vsto cohere
4 3.9

To join so closely that two things become one, for example plants or bones

refers to fitting into a whole without implying natural biological growth
to hang together
vsto cohere
2 4.6

To fit together so the parts make sense as a whole

is broader, covering physical fitting as well as logical connection
to knit together
vsto cohere
2 3.9

Make people or groups work closely together as one

is broader, meaning to fit or stick to form a single whole
to intermesh
vsto cohere
7.0

To fit together like gears so parts touch and work together

is broader, applying to any physical or abstract unity not only overlap
to complect
vsto cohere
  • UK
9.9

To join parts together by weaving or tangling

is about forming a whole without implying tangled interweaving

Antonyms

104 4.4

To cause people and things, like a crowd or fog, to spread over a wide area

Phrasal Verbs

To come together and form one clear, organized whole

How Coherent

to fuse
44 3.9
to cohere
3 6.2
to merge
192 3.2

Surface Forms

cohere infinitive
cohered past
cohered past participle
cohering present participle
coheres third person singular

Etymology

Cohere comes from the Latin parts co- meaning 'together' and haerere meaning 'to stick'. Think of words like adhere or adhesive, which also mean 'to stick', so to cohere is to stick or fit together as one whole, whether in things or in ideas.