combine

See also: Combine and combiné

English

Etymology

PIE word
*dwóh₁

From Middle French combiner, from Late Latin combīnāre (“unite, yoke together”), from Latin con- (“together”) + bīnī (“two by two”).

Pronunciation

• (verb):
  • enPR: kəm-bīn', IPA^(key): /kəmˈbaɪn/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -aɪn

• (noun):
  • (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒm.baɪn/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

  • (US) enPR: käm'bīn, IPA^(key): /ˈkɑm.baɪn/

Verb

combine (third-person singular simple present combines, present participle combining, simple past and past participle combined)

1. (transitive) To bring (two or more things or activities) together; to unite.

   Combine the milk and the hot water in a large bowl.

   I'm combining business and pleasure on this trip.

   • 2012 March, William E. Carter, Merri Sue Carter, “The British Longitude Act Reconsidered”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 87:

     Conditions were horrendous aboard most British naval vessels at the time. Scurvy and other diseases ran rampant, killing more seamen each year than all other causes combined, including combat.

2. (transitive) To have two or more things or properties that function together.

   Joe combines the intelligence of a rock with the honesty of a politician.

3. (intransitive) To come together; to unite.

   two substances that easily combine

   • 1675, John Dryden, Aureng-zebe: A Tragedy. […], London: […] T[homas] N[ewcomb] for Henry Herringman, […], published 1676, →OCLC, (please specify the page number):

     You with your foes combine, / And seem your own destruction to design.

   • 1805, Walter Scott, “(please specify the page)”, in The Lay of the Last Minstrel: A Poem, London: […] [James Ballantyne] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, […], and A[rchibald] Constable and Co., […], →OCLC:

     So sweet did harp and voice combine.

4. (card games) In the game of casino, to play a card which will take two or more cards whose aggregate number of pips equals those of the card played.
5. (obsolete) To bind; to hold by a moral tie.
   • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:

     I am combined by a sacred vow.

Synonyms

• See synonyms at Thesaurus:coalesce.

Antonyms

• divide
• separate
• disunite

Derived terms

• combinability
• combinable
• combination
• combinatory
• combined
• combinement
• combining character
• combining form
• combining weight
• decombine
• incombine
• intercombine
• noncombining
• precombine
• recombine
• uncombine

 

Translations

bring two or more things or activities together

• Arabic: ضَمَّ (ar) (ḍamma), جَمَعَ (ar) (jamaʕa)
• Armenian: համատեղել (hy) (hamateġel)
• Bulgarian: обединявам (bg) (obedinjavam), комбинирам (bg) (kombiniram)
• Catalan: combinar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 結合 / 结合 (zh) (jiéhé), 組合 / 组合 (zh) (zǔhé)

• Czech: kombinovat
• Danish: kombinere
• Dutch: combineren (nl)
• Esperanto: kombini
• Finnish: yhdistää (fi), sekoittaa (fi)
• French: combiner (fr)
• Galician: combinar (gl)
• German: kombinieren (de), verbinden (de)
• Greek: συνδυάζω (el) (syndyázo), ενώνω (el) (enóno), σχηματίζω (el) (schimatízo), μορφώνω (el) (morfóno), συνενώνω (el) (synenóno), συνταιριάζω (el) (syntairiázo)
• Hebrew: ערבב (irbév) (things); שילב (shilév) (activities)
• Italian: combinare (it), mischiare (it)
• Japanese: 合わせる (ja) (あわせる, awaseru), 結び付ける (ja) (むすびつける, musubitsukeru), 結合する (ja) (けつごうする, ketsugo suru), 合併する (ja) (がっぺいする, gappei suru)
• Korean: 조합하다 (johaphada), 결합하다 (ko) (gyeolhaphada)
• Latvian: apvienot (lv), savienot
• Maori: whakamoana, kōnanunanu, whakatōpū, pāhekoheko
• Occitan: combinar (oc)
• Portuguese: combinar (pt)
• Romanian: îmbina (ro), combina (ro)
• Russian: комбини́ровать (ru) impf (kombinírovatʹ), скомбини́ровать (ru) pf (skombinírovatʹ), объединя́ть (ru) impf (obʺjedinjátʹ), объедини́ть (ru) pf (obʺjedinítʹ)
• Spanish: combinar (es), juntar (es), unir (es)
• Telugu: కలుపు (te) (kalupu)
• Ugaritic: 𐎎𐎒𐎋 (msk)
• Ukrainian: комбінува́ти (kombinuváty), об'є́днувати (obʺjédnuvaty), сполуча́ти (spolučáty)

have two or more things or properties that function together

• Bulgarian: съчетавам (bg) (sǎčetavam), комбинирам (bg) (kombiniram)
• Danish: forene
• Dutch: verenigen (nl)
• Finnish: yhdistää (fi), sovittaa yhteen
• German: vereinen (de)
• Greek: συνδυάζω (el) (syndyázo)
• Hebrew: שילב (shilév) (properties)
• Italian: abbinare (it), unire (it)
• Japanese: 兼ねる (ja) (かねる, kaneru)
• Latvian: apvienot (lv), savienot
• Maori: whakatōpū
• Portuguese: combinar (pt)
• Spanish: unir (es), juntar (es)
• Ukrainian: комбінува́ти (kombinuváty)

Noun

combine (plural combines)

1. A combine harvester

   We can't finish harvesting because our combine is stuck in the mud.

   • 1976, The Wurzels, I Am A Cider Drinker:

     When those combine wheels stops turnin'
     And the hard days work is done
     Theres a pub around the corner
     It's the place we 'ave our fun

2. A combination
   1. Especially, a joint enterprise of whatever legal form for a purpose of business or in any way promoting the interests of the participants, sometimes with monopolistic or fraudulent intentions.

      The telecom companies were accused of having formed an illegal combine in order to hike up the network charges.

   2. An industrial conglomeration in a socialist country, particularly in the former Soviet bloc.

      Synonym: kombinat

   3. (art) An artwork falling between painting and sculpture, having objects embedded into a painted surface.
3. (American football) A Test match in which applicants play in the hope of earning a position on a professional football team.
   • 2008, Scott Shetler, Optimal Performance Techniques for the Football Combine, page 5:

     If you purchased this book chances are that you are planning on participating in a football combine or pro-day test.

   • 2020, Jay R. Hoffman, The Science of American Football:

     In 2008, a study was published that examined the ability of the NFL combine to predict football playing performance in the NFL (Kuzmits and Adams, 2008).

   • 2020 April 24, Ken Belson, Ben Shpigel, “Full Round 1 2020 N.F.L. Picks and Analysis”, in New York Time‎^[1]:

     At the combine, Reagor compared himself to the 49ers’ Deebo Samuel or Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill — whom he said he watched “every day”

Derived terms

• combine driver

Translations

combine harvester — see combine harvester

combination — see combination

joint enterprise for a business purpose

• Bulgarian: ^{(please verify)} обединение (bg) n (obedinenie), ^{(please verify)} синдикат (bg) m (sindikat)
• Czech: kombinát (cs) m
• Finnish: yhteenliittymä (fi), liittouma (fi), yhtymä (fi)
• Romanian: combinat (ro) n
• Ukrainian: об'є́днання (uk) (obʺjédnannja)

industrial conglomeration in the Soviet bloc

• Czech: kombinát (cs) m
• Finnish: kombinaatti (fi)
• Italian: kombinat (it), combinat
• Polish: kombinat (pl) m
• Russian: комбина́т (ru) f (kombinát)
• Ukrainian: комбіна́т m (kombinát)

Anagrams

• becomin'

Asturian

Verb

combine

1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive of combinar

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃.bin/

Etymology 1

Abbreviation of combinaison.

Noun

combine f (plural combines)

1. (colloquial) trick, scheme

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

combine

1. inflection of combiner:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “combine”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• combien

Galician

Verb

combine

1. inflection of combinar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from French combine or English combine.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /komˈbin/, /ˈkɔm.bajn/
• Rhymes: -in, -ɔmbajn

Noun

combine f (invariable)

1. (sports) tactical foul play between two people or teams aimed to evict a third person or team

   Synonym: biscotto

Anagrams

• incombe, incombé

Portuguese

Verb

combine

1. inflection of combinar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [komˈbine]

Verb

combine

1. third-person singular/plural present subjunctive of combina

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /komˈbine/ [kõmˈbi.ne]
• Rhymes: -ine
• Syllabification: com‧bi‧ne

Verb

combine

1. inflection of combinar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative