Meaning & use
unite
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
to join together or come together for a shared purpose or goal
Grammar: Can take an object (unite the groups) or stand alone with a preposition (unite against something).
Patterns
- unite against someone/something
- unite behind someone/something
- unite in something
- unite to do something
The workers united to demand better pay.
Neighbors united against the plan to close the park.
The two parties united behind a single candidate.
verbtransitive
to make separate things into one whole
Grammar: Takes an object: unite the pieces, unite the two companies.
Patterns
- unite something with something
- unite something and something
The bridge unites the two sides of the river.
The merger united two large companies.
A common language united the different regions.
verbtransitiveformalold-fashioned
to join with someone in marriage
Grammar: Often in the passive: they were united in marriage.
Patterns
- unite someone in marriage
- be united in marriage
The couple were united in marriage last spring.
The priest united them in a small ceremony.
Word forms
| third person singular | unites |
|---|---|
| past tense | united |
| past participle | united |
| -ing form | uniting |
Common combinations
- unite against
- The community united against the proposed factory.
- unite behind
- The party united behind its new leader.
- unite in
- They were united in their opposition to the war.
- unite to do something
- The countries united to fight climate change.
- unite forces
- The two groups united forces for the campaign.
Synonyms and how they differ
- join
- Join is more general and can mean simply connecting things; unite suggests a common purpose or cause.
- combine
- Combine focuses on mixing things together; unite often implies people or groups coming together emotionally or politically.
- merge
- Merge is used for organizations or things becoming one; unite is broader and can be used for people.
- unify
- Unify stresses making something into a single whole, often structurally; unite stresses shared purpose.
Opposites
Word family
- united adjective
- Joined together or in agreement.
- unity noun
- The state of being joined or in agreement.
- unification noun
- The act of joining separate parts into one.
- unifier noun
- A person or thing that brings people together.
Commonly confused: unite or untie?
unite vs untie
Untie means to undo a knot or rope; unite means to join together. They sound similar but have opposite meanings.
Practice
The workers ______ to demand safer conditions.
Choose one answer.
United is the past tense of unite, meaning joined together for a purpose. Untied means unfastened a knot, which makes no sense here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unite”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.