plural unions
1
a
: an act or instance of uniting or joining two or more things into one: such as
(1)
: the formation of a single political unit from two or more separate and independent units
(2)
: a uniting in marriage
also
: sexual intercourse
(3)
: the growing together of severed parts
b
: a unified condition : combination, junction
a gracious union of excellence and strength
2
: something that is made one : something formed by a combining or coalition of parts or members: such as
a
: a confederation of independent individuals (such as nations or persons) for some common purpose
b(1)
: a political unit constituting an organic whole formed usually from units which were previously governed separately (such as England and Scotland in 1707) and which have surrendered or delegated their principal powers to the government of the whole or to a newly created government (such as the U.S. in 1789)
(2)
the Union in U.S. history
: the group of states that remained part of the United States after 11 southern states seceded in 1860 and 1861 and formed the Confederacy (see confederacy sense 2b) : the federal union of states during the period of the American Civil War
c
Union
: an organization on a college or university campus providing recreational, social, cultural, and sometimes dining facilities
also
: the building housing such an organization
d
: the set of all elements belonging to one or more of a given collection of two or more sets
called also join, sum
e
3
a
: a device emblematic of the union of two or more sovereignties borne on a national flag typically in the upper inner corner or constituting the whole design of the flag
b
: the upper inner corner of a flag
4
: any of various devices for connecting parts (as of a machine)
especially
: a coupling for pipes or pipes and fittings
: of, relating to, dealing with, or constituting a union
especially,
Union
: of, relating to, or being the side favoring the Union in the American Civil War
Union troops
Synonyms
Examples of union in a Sentence
Noun
She joined the teachers' union.
An embryo is created through the union of sperm and egg.
a perfect union of Eastern and Western music
Recent Examples on the Web
Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 26 Nov. 2024
Opinion Trump Won With the Most Diverse GOP Since the Civil Rights Act | Opinion
Prior to the passage of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) in 1934, American workers had no legal process to form a union.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024
Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 7 Oct. 2024
Half of the union members who remain in the U.S. work for government, a fact that would astonish the man who led the actual most pro-union administration in American history, Franklin Roosevelt.
—The Editors, National Review, 2 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for union 
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Increases in media revenue and franchise valuation compelled the players union to push for a new collective bargaining agreement with the league, one that was agreed to in August.
—Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 26 Nov. 2024
Opinion Trump Won With the Most Diverse GOP Since the Civil Rights Act | Opinion
Prior to the passage of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) in 1934, American workers had no legal process to form a union.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024
Adjective
The union wants to prevent employers from outsourcing those jobs to non-union workers or automated systems.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 7 Oct. 2024
Half of the union members who remain in the U.S. work for government, a fact that would astonish the man who led the actual most pro-union administration in American history, Franklin Roosevelt.
—The Editors, National Review, 2 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for union
Dictionary Entries Near union
Cite this Entry
“Union.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/union. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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