ENGLISH
REFERENCE

unite

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈjuˌnaɪt// UK //juːnˈaɪt// unite Archaic General-service

v. to join together to achieve a common goal or to become one single group. You use this when people or things stop being separate and start working as a team.

v. to join or combine to form a single unit or to act in concert for a common purpose. Often used in political or social contexts to describe the merging of disparate groups.


SIMPLE

The two small companies decided to unite to compete with larger rivals.

CONTEXTUAL

The community leaders worked hard to unite the different neighborhoods after the local school was closed.

COMPLEX

Historians argue that the external threat served to unite the warring factions more effectively than any internal diplomatic effort ever could have.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ís? Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos Proto-Italic *oinos Old Latin oinos Latin ūnus Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Latin -iō Latin ūniō Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tos Latin -tus Latin ūnītuslbor. Middle English uniten English unite From Middle English uniten, from Latin ūnītus, perfect passive participle of ūniō.

Usage

The verb can be used both transitively (to unite others) and intransitively (to unite with others).

Pitfall

They united together to win.They united to win.The word 'unite' already implies joining together, so adding 'together' is often considered redundant in formal writing.

© 2026 English Reference