merge conflict
2 synonyms for merge conflict, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A situation in which two people have changed the same part of the same file and the version-control software cannot decide which change to keep, so it stops and asks a person to choose.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
merge collision
How to use merge conflict
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
resolve a merge conflict
merge conflict markers
hit a merge conflict
conflict in the file
Technical, common in software teams; used most often with Git.
Etymology
A compound of merge, the act of combining two lines of changes, and conflict.
Full origin of merge conflict →Frequently asked questions
What causes a merge conflict?
It happens when two sets of changes touch the same lines of a file, or when one side edits a file the other side has deleted or renamed. The software can combine changes that sit in different places automatically, but where they overlap it has no way of knowing which version is wanted.
How is a merge conflict resolved?
Someone opens the affected file, where the tool has marked both competing versions, decides what the final text should be, removes the markers and saves the result. The resolved file is then recorded as a commit so the merge can finish.
Is a merge conflict an error or a bug?
Neither. It is the version-control system correctly declining to guess, and it is a normal part of several people working on the same code. It only becomes a problem if it is resolved carelessly and one person's work is discarded by accident.
