I. kənˈsäləˌdāt, usu -ad.+V verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin consolidatus, past participle of consolidare to make firm, from com- + solidare to make firm, from solidus solid — more at safe
transitive verb
1.
a. : to join together (as two or more items into one unit, or whole) : unite
consolidate various ideas
consolidate several colleges into a university
b. law
(1) : to cause to become united and extinguished in a superior right or estate by both becoming vested in the same person
(2) : to join in or cause to proceed as a single action — used of causes of action or of actions started separately
2.
a. : to make firm or secure : strengthen , confirm
consolidate their hold on first place
consolidate the economic power of an empire with great merchant fleets
specifically : to organize and strengthen by military means (as a position or ground recently captured)
b. : to make stronger or more secure
condemnation of Italy … consolidated Italian-American support for Il Duce — Oscar Handlin
consolidate his reputation
: make more tangible or effective
five years … have only consolidated the paradoxes — James Cameron
3. : to make or form into a solid or hardened mass
the press consolidates fibers into board under pressures which vary from 300 to 1000 pounds a square inch — Monsanto Magazine
intransitive verb
1. : to become firm or hard (as by solidifying, freezing, uniting, adhering) : grow solid
the mud of the roads consolidated in the freezing night
2. : to unite or grow into a coherent whole
his ideas consolidated into a plan
specifically : to undergo merger (as for mutual advantage)
Synonyms: see unify
II. -ˌdāt, -_də̇t adjective
Etymology: Latin consolidatus
: made solid, firm, or coherent : consolidated
one of Montague's earliest consolidate memories — Peggy Bennett