cohesion

noun

co·​he·​sion kō-ˈhē-zhən How to pronounce cohesion (audio)
1
: the act or state of sticking together tightly
especially : unity
the lack of cohesion in the Party The Times Literary Supplement (London)
cohesion among soldiers in a unit
2
: union between similar plant parts or organs
3
: molecular attraction by which the particles of a body are united throughout the mass
cohesionless adjective

Did you know?

Cohesion is one of the noun forms of cohere; the others are cohesiveness and coherence, each of which has a slightly different meaning. Coherence is often used to describe a person's speech or writing. An incoherent talk or blog post is one that doesn't "hang together;" and if the police pick up someone who they describe as incoherent, it means he or she isn't making sense. But to describe a group or team that always sticks together, you would use cohesive, not coherent. And the words you'd use in Chemistry class to describe the way molecules hang together—for example, the way water forms into beads and drops—are cohesion, cohesive, and cohesiveness.

Examples of cohesion in a Sentence

There was a lack of cohesion in the rebel army.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
At Gonzaga under Trivers, the Eagles devoted substantial effort to strengthening their cohesion. Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 26 Oct. 2024 This was a team that desperately lacked cohesion last season. Graham Ruthven, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024 The trio was formed during the 2023 offseason when Beal arrived from the Washington Wizards in a trade, but injuries to Durant and Beal led to a lack of cohesion, the No. 6 seed in the West and a first-round sweep in the playoffs to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Matias Grez, CNN, 24 Oct. 2024 Determine if communication gaps, a lack of clear vision or inadequate team cohesion contributed to the venture’s difficulties. Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cohesion 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin cohaesiōn-, cohaesiō (Medieval Latin, "proximity contact"), from Latin cohaes-, variant stem of cohaerēre "to stick together, cohere" + -iōn-, -iō -ion

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cohesion was in 1660

Dictionary Entries Near cohesion

Cite this Entry

“Cohesion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cohesion. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

cohesion

noun
co·​he·​sion kō-ˈhē-zhən How to pronounce cohesion (audio)
1
: the action or state of sticking together
2
: molecular attraction by which the particles of a body are united throughout the mass
cohesive
kō-ˈhē-siv
-ziv
adjective
cohesiveness noun

Medical Definition

cohesion

noun
co·​he·​sion kō-ˈhē-zhən How to pronounce cohesion (audio)
1
: the act or process of sticking together tightly
2
: the molecular attraction by which the particles of a body are united throughout the mass compare adhesion sense 3
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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