merge

The word “merge” means to combine two or more things into one. In plain terms, to join two or more things together so they become one.

“Merge” is pronounced murj (/mɝd͡ʒ/ in IPA).

Here is “merge” used in a sentence: “The two companies decided to merge after years of competing for the same customers.”

Words with a similar meaning to “merge” include merger and merging.

“Merge” is a verb.

The word “merge” comes from Latin. From Latin mergere, "to dip or plunge into" — the idea of one thing being absorbed into another.

“Merge” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Merge” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to combine two or more things into one.

Merge specifically implies that two or more things blend together to become one unified whole, often losing their separate identities in the process. Combine is a broader term that can mean simply putting things together without necessarily implying they fully blend into a single entity.

Merge and fuse both describe things joining into one, but fuse often implies a more permanent or forceful joining, such as metals fused by heat, while merge is used more broadly for gradual or voluntary combination, such as companies or traffic merging.

When used of traffic, merge describes vehicles blending gradually from one lane or road into another, as in "merge onto the highway." This is one of the word's most common everyday uses alongside its use for combining companies, files, or documents.