conflate

verb

con·​flate kən-ˈflāt How to pronounce conflate (audio)
conflated; conflating; conflates

transitive verb

1
a
: to bring together : blend
Even more often, outsiders conflate the couple, and credit them with each other's characteristics.Alison Lurie
This unsettling book—conflating journalism, personal reportage, sociology and philosophical inquiry …Rosemary Mahoney
b
: confuse
Given its name, St. Thomas in Houston has on occasion been conflated with St. Thomas in Minnesota …David Barron
2
: to combine (things, such as two versions of a text) into a composite whole
For there are two substantive texts, the quarto published in 1597 and the folio in 1623. Modern editions usually conflate the pair to produce what the editor judges to be the best and most plausible hybrid.Bill Overton

Did you know?

We’re not just blowing hot air when we tell you that conflate can actually be traced back to the same roots as the English verb blow. Conflate comes from conflatus, a form of the Latin verb conflare (“to blow together, to fuse”), which was formed by combining the prefix com-, meaning “with” or “together,” with the Latin verb flare, meaning “to blow.” Blow’s ancestor, the Old English word blāwan, shares an ancestor with flare. When two or more things are conflated, they are figuratively “blown together” either by someone’s confusion or ingenuity. Other descendants of flare in English include flavor, inflate, and, well, flatulent.

Examples of conflate in a Sentence

be careful not to conflate gossip with real news the movie conflates documentary footage and dramatized reenactments so seamlessly and ingeniously that viewers may not know what is real and what is not
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Worse, as some have pointed out, the current system conflates our roles as citizens and consumers. Penny Abeywardena, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024 Consumers’ ability and willingness to spend are not the same but are often conflated. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024 Quint warns that in efforts to apply race and ethnicity data, researchers and policymakers should be careful not to conflate a person’s health with these factors alone. Jyoti Madhusoodanan, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024 Trump and his allies appear to be conflating two different funds. NBC News, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for conflate 

Word History

Etymology

Latin conflatus, past participle of conflare to blow together, fuse, from com- + flare to blow — more at blow

First Known Use

1557, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of conflate was in 1557

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near conflate

Cite this Entry

“Conflate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conflate. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

conflate

verb
con·​flate
kən-ˈflāt
conflated; conflating
1
: to bring together : blend
conflate history and fiction
2

More from Merriam-Webster on conflate

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