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Definition of "consolidate" []

  • To unite into one system or whole; combine: consolidated five separate agencies into a single department. (verb-transitive)
  • To make strong or secure; strengthen: She consolidated her power during her first year in office. (verb-transitive)
  • To make firm or coherent; form into a compact mass. (verb-transitive)
  • To become solidified or united. (verb-intransitive)
  • To join in a merger or union: The two firms consolidated under a new name. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "consolidate" in a sentence
  • "Sleep helps your brain consolidate information, so without that recovery time, you're unable to file away important data."
  • "They fear that uncertainty going into the Democratic convention at the end of August will merely help John McCain consolidate his Republican base and win over independents and moderate Democrats."
  • "The real driver behind the desire to consolidate is globalisation -- a force that is dramatically changing how companies compete and succeed."