What does "union" mean?
The act of uniting or joining two or more things into one.
Union
/ˈjuː.njən/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of uniting or joining two or more things into one.
- Grammar: union is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: unification, abutment, abuttal, accompaniment.
- Useful contrasts: nonunion, no energy transfer, bisections.
- Usage evidence: Even now, many years after the Cold War, there is still much rancor between the Russians and the Germans, especially in areas once occupied by the Soviet Union.
How to use "union"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "union" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "union" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "union" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "union" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "union" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "unification" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "union", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act of uniting or joining two or more things into one. countable
- 2 The 0-10-2 locomotive wheel arrangement.
- 3 the act of making or becoming a single unit wordnet
- 4 The state of being united or joined; a state of unity or harmony. uncountable
- 5 The canton of the United States flag: the portion of the flag containing stars on a blue background.
Show 19 more definitions
- 6 the act of pairing a male and female for reproductive purposes wordnet
- 7 Something united, or made one; something formed by a combination or coalition of parts or members; a confederation; a consolidated body; a league. countable
- 8 a device on a national flag emblematic of the union of two or more sovereignties (typically in the upper inner corner) wordnet
- 9 A trade union; a workers' union. countable
"In the autumn there was a row at some cement works about the unskilled labour men. A union had just been started for them and all but a few joined. One of these blacklegs was laid for by a picket and knocked out of time."
- 10 the occurrence of a uniting of separate parts wordnet
- 11 An association of students at a university for social and/or political purposes; also in some cases a debating body. countable
- 12 a set containing all and only the members of two or more given sets wordnet
- 13 A joint or other connection uniting parts of machinery, such as pipes. countable
- 14 an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer wordnet
- 15 The set containing all of the elements of two or more sets. countable
- 16 a political unit formed from previously independent people or organizations wordnet
- 17 The act or state of marriage. countable
- 18 healing process involving the growing together of the edges of a wound or the growing together of broken bones wordnet
- 19 Sexual intercourse. archaic, euphemistic, uncountable
- 20 the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce) wordnet
- 21 A data structure that can store any of various types of item, but only one at a time. countable
"Unions are useful in those cases where you need to keep track of a value that can be represented as different data types during the lifetime of the program."
- 22 the state of being joined or united or linked wordnet
- 23 A large, high-quality pearl. archaic, countable
"Nonius the senator hath a purple coat as stiff with jewels as his mind is full of vices; rings on his fingers worth 20,000 sesterces, and[…]an union in his ear worth an hundred pounds' weight of gold […]"
- 24 An affiliation of several parishes for joint support and management of their poor; also the jointly-owned workhouse. countable, historical, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To combine sets using the union operation.
Adjective
- 1 Belonging to, represented by, or otherwise pertaining to a labour union.
"Actors have to be union to get work here."
- 2 federal. India
"The union government of India"
Adjective
- 1 being of or having to do with the northern United States and those loyal to the Union during the American Civil War wordnet
- 2 of trade unions wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 The United States of America. US, dated, especially, obsolete
"threats to secede from the Union"
- 2 A surname.
- 3 The Oxford Union (a debating society); not to be conflated with Oxford University Student Union (a students' union). informal
- 4 Those of the United States that did not secede at the time of the Civil War (of the United States of America). US, historical
"Union troops at Gettysburg"
- 5 The Soviet Union: the proper noun Union is the standard English translation of the proper noun Союз (Sojuz), and All-Union is the standard English translation of всесоюзный (vsesojuznyj). historical
"throughout the Union, but nowhere more so than at the Center [Moscow]"
Show 34 more definitions
- 6 Alternative form of union. India, alt-of, alternative
- 7 Place names:; A community in Central Elgin municipality, Elgin County, Ontario, Canada.
- 8 Place names:; A barangay of Ubay, Bohol, Philippines.
- 9 Place names:; A village on the south cast of the island of Siargao, Surigao del Norte, Philippines.
- 10 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A town in Greene County, Alabama.
- 11 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A ghost town in Merced County, California.
- 12 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A former unincorporated community in Napa County, California.
- 13 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A small town in Tolland County, Connecticut.
- 14 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A village in McHenry County, Illinois.
- 15 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Clay Township, Pike County, Indiana.
- 16 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A tiny city in Hardin County, Iowa.
- 17 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A home rule city in Boone County, Kentucky.
- 18 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A town in Knox County, Maine.
- 19 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A town in Neshoba County and Newton County, Mississippi.
- 20 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A city, the county seat of Franklin County, Missouri.
- 21 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Clark County, Missouri.
- 22 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A village in Cass County, Nebraska.
- 23 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A village and census-designated place in the town of Wakefield, Carroll County, New Hampshire.
- 24 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A hamlet in Madison County, New York.
- 25 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A large town in Broome County, New York.
- 26 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A city in Montgomery County and Miami County, Ohio.
- 27 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A city in Union County, Oregon.
- 28 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A city, the county seat of Union County, South Carolina.
- 29 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Floyd County, Virginia.
- 30 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A small town, the county seat of Monroe County, West Virginia.
- 31 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A small town in Burnett County, Wisconsin.
- 32 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A small town in Door County, Wisconsin.
- 33 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A town and unincorporated community in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin.
- 34 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in the town of Lima, Grant County, Wisconsin.
- 35 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A small town in Pierce County, Wisconsin.
- 36 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A town and unincorporated community in Rock County, Wisconsin.
- 37 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A small town in Vernon County, Wisconsin.
- 38 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A small town in Waupaca County, Wisconsin.
- 39 Place names:; A number of places in the United States:; A large number of townships in the United States, listed under Union Township.
Antonyms
Example
"Even now, many years after the Cold War, there is still much rancor between the Russians and the Germans, especially in areas once occupied by the Soviet Union."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "union"?
Common synonyms include: unification, abutment, abuttal, accompaniment, accord, accordance.
How do you use "union" in a sentence?
Even now, many years after the Cold War, there is still much rancor between the Russians and the Germans, especially in areas once occupied by the Soviet Union.
How do you pronounce "union"?
Pronounced /ˈjuː.njən/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English unyoun, from Old French union, from Late Latin ūniō, ūniōnem (“oneness, unity”), from Latin ūnus (“one”). Doublet of unio.
Etymology 2
(locomotive): Derived from the name of the only U.S. company to use that configuration.
Etymology 3
Probably a variant spelling of Onion.
Etymology 4
Clipping of Oxford Union.