join

verb

1)

we joined a bunch of sticks together

Syn:

fasten, attach, tie, bind, couple, connect, unite, link, yoke, weld, fuse, glue

2)

the two clubs have joined together

Syn:

combine, amalgamate, merge, join forces, unify, unite

3)

we joined them in their venture

Syn:

team up with, band together with, cooperate with, collaborate with

4)

she joined the volleyball team

Syn:

sign up with, enlist in, enroll in, enter, become a member of, be part of

5)

where the Ottawa River joins the St. Lawrence

Syn:

meet, reach, abut, touch, adjoin, border on, connect with

••

join, combine, conjoin, connect, consolidate, unite

It is possible for an individual to join an investment club, to consolidate his or her financial resources, and to combine a background in economics with a strong interest in retirement planning. All of these words mean to bring together or to attach two or more things. Join is the general term for bringing into contact or conjunction two discrete things (join two pieces of wood; join one's friends in celebration), while conjoin emphasizes both the separateness of the things that are joined and the unity that results (her innate brilliance, conjoined with a genuine eagerness to learn, made her the ideal candidate for the job). In contrast, to combine is to mix or mingle things together, often to the point where they merge with one another (combine the ingredients for a cake). Consolidate also implies a merger of distinct and separate elements, but the emphasis here is on achieving greater compactness, strength, or efficiency (consolidate their furnishings and buy a new house together). Connect implies a loose or obvious attachment of things to each other, but with each thing's identity or physical separateness preserved (the two families were connected by blood; she connected the computer to the printer). In a physical context, it differs from join in that it implies an intervening element that permits movement; in other words, the bones are connected by ligaments, but bricks are joined by mortar. When things are joined or combined so closely that they form a single thing, they are said to unite (the parties were united in their support of the new law).