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
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 15 Apr. 2024
The service’s powerful public-sector unions have also expressed growing concern about the agency’s financial health and ability to sustain its nearly 650,000 employees.
—Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2024
The Cannes Critics’ Week, the parallel film festival sidebar organized by the French film critics’ union, has unveiled its 2024 selection.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Apr. 2024
Democrats had shifted away from their heavy dependence on unions in recent decades, but Biden and others have worked to keep those lines of connection active, strongly backing the efforts of the UAW and others.
—Ron Elving, NPR, 13 Apr. 2024
The contracts already have been ratified by an assortment of unions representing clerks, custodians, engineers, gardeners, librarians, mechanics and many other city workers.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Gossip hounds suspected the other man was Simpson —and that their union produced Khloe, who does bear a striking resemblance to him.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
The national security concerns of the union and politicians opposed to the deal are legitimate, even if steel isn’t thought of as a military asset the way computer chips or other technology might be, according to Gibbs.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The current system allows teachers’ unions to take advantage of voter apathy to cement their control over schools.
—Eric Bledsoe, National Review, 12 Apr. 2024
Chloe Berger, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024
Fight over union rights at the Indianapolis Airport The fight at the airport between two local unions and the Indianapolis Airport Authority is a sign of unions struggling to exert influence, even in a city that's governed by the pro-union Democratic Party.
—Binghui Huang, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024
The layoff figure includes both union members and non-union managers.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 23 Jan. 2024
However, though billed as a speech to union workers, Trump's remarks took place at a non-union auto parts plant.
—Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 31 Jan. 2024
The coffee chain's decision to grant raises to both its union and non-union employees is a departure from the company's previous policy.
—Elizabeth Napolitano, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2023
Those laws provide union representation to non-union members without requiring the payment of union dues, and some corporations invest money into programs and consultants who introduce union-suppressing tactics to the workplace.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2023
At issue was that while the dance artists worked under a union contract for the VMAs, they were not presented with any kind of contract for the non-union behind-the-scenes footage that surfaced in the documentary.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2023
The company's leaders blamed the closure, in part, on contentious dealings with its union and the rise of non-union competitors.
—Elizabeth Napolitano, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2023
Noun
Stiehm noted that unlike the 2007-2008 strike, the WGA received strong support from fellow unions last year.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 15 Apr. 2024
The service’s powerful public-sector unions have also expressed growing concern about the agency’s financial health and ability to sustain its nearly 650,000 employees.
—Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2024
The Cannes Critics’ Week, the parallel film festival sidebar organized by the French film critics’ union, has unveiled its 2024 selection.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Apr. 2024
Democrats had shifted away from their heavy dependence on unions in recent decades, but Biden and others have worked to keep those lines of connection active, strongly backing the efforts of the UAW and others.
—Ron Elving, NPR, 13 Apr. 2024
The contracts already have been ratified by an assortment of unions representing clerks, custodians, engineers, gardeners, librarians, mechanics and many other city workers.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Gossip hounds suspected the other man was Simpson —and that their union produced Khloe, who does bear a striking resemblance to him.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
The national security concerns of the union and politicians opposed to the deal are legitimate, even if steel isn’t thought of as a military asset the way computer chips or other technology might be, according to Gibbs.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The current system allows teachers’ unions to take advantage of voter apathy to cement their control over schools.
—Eric Bledsoe, National Review, 12 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Being part of a union increased the median wealth for households of color by between 167% to 228%, a figure that dropped to just 37% for union and non-union white households.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024
Fight over union rights at the Indianapolis Airport The fight at the airport between two local unions and the Indianapolis Airport Authority is a sign of unions struggling to exert influence, even in a city that's governed by the pro-union Democratic Party.
—Binghui Huang, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024
The layoff figure includes both union members and non-union managers.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 23 Jan. 2024
However, though billed as a speech to union workers, Trump's remarks took place at a non-union auto parts plant.
—Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 31 Jan. 2024
The coffee chain's decision to grant raises to both its union and non-union employees is a departure from the company's previous policy.
—Elizabeth Napolitano, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2023
Those laws provide union representation to non-union members without requiring the payment of union dues, and some corporations invest money into programs and consultants who introduce union-suppressing tactics to the workplace.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2023
At issue was that while the dance artists worked under a union contract for the VMAs, they were not presented with any kind of contract for the non-union behind-the-scenes footage that surfaced in the documentary.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2023
The company's leaders blamed the closure, in part, on contentious dealings with its union and the rise of non-union competitors.
—Elizabeth Napolitano, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'union.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near union
Cite this Entry
“Union.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/union. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share