Meaning & use
coincide
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To happen at the same time as another event.
Grammar: No object; usually followed by with: the meetings coincide with exams.
Patterns
- coincide with something
- dates coincide
- events coincide
My flight coincides with my sister's graduation ceremony.
The farmers' market coincides with the first warm weekend in spring.
verbintransitive
To match or be exactly the same in opinion, fact, or position.
Grammar: No object; often with with for facts, or two subjects agree: our views coincide.
Patterns
- coincide with something
- views coincide
- accounts coincide
Her description of the accident coincides with the security video.
On budget cuts, their priorities coincide more than they expected.
Word forms
| third person singular | coincides |
|---|---|
| past tense | coincided |
| past participle | coincided |
| -ing form | coinciding |
Common combinations
- coincide with something
- The parade coincides with the city's anniversary weekend.
- coincide exactly
- The two schedules coincide exactly on Thursday afternoon.
- coincide in time
- The talks coincide in time but happen in different buildings.
Synonyms and how they differ
- overlap
- Best when time, interests, or areas partly share the same space or period, not necessarily exactly.
- concur
- Used mainly for people formally agreeing, especially in opinion or decision, not events in time.
- correspond
- Emphasizes matching details or equivalence; weaker than exact simultaneous timing.
- synchronize
- Means arranging or causing things to happen together, while coincide is often unplanned.
Opposites
Word family
- coincidence noun
- An unplanned event happening at the same time as another, or an apparent accidental match.
- coincidental adjective
- Happening by chance rather than by plan.
- coincidentally adverb
- By chance; in a coincidental way.
Commonly confused: coincide or coincidence?
coincide vs coincidence
Coincidence is the noun for a chance match; coincide is the verb meaning the events match or occur together.
Practice
Our vacation dates ___ with the school festival, so we can attend both.
Choose one answer.
The intransitive pattern is coincide with something. 'Coincide in' can appear before a shared feature, but before a simple event use with; 'to' and 'for' do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “coincide”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.