agglomerate

1 of 3

verb

ag·​glom·​er·​ate ə-ˈglä-mə-ˌrāt How to pronounce agglomerate (audio)
agglomerated; agglomerating

transitive verb

: to gather into a ball, mass, or cluster

agglomerate

2 of 3

adjective

ag·​glom·​er·​ate ə-ˈglä-mə-rət How to pronounce agglomerate (audio)
: gathered into a ball, mass, or cluster
specifically : clustered or growing together but not coherent
an agglomerate flower head

agglomerate

3 of 3

noun

ag·​glom·​er·​ate ə-ˈglä-mə-rət How to pronounce agglomerate (audio)
1
: a rock composed of volcanic fragments of various sizes and degrees of angularity
2
: a jumbled mass or collection : agglomeration

Examples of agglomerate in a Sentence

Verb breakfast cereal consisting of agglomerated clusters of wheat, rice, and nuts stays crunchy in milk Noun the Holy Roman Empire was an ever-varying agglomerate of central European states that managed to survive for 1,000 years
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
In those days, nearly all hemophiliacs were HIV-positive because they were infused repeatedly with blood products agglomerated from thousands of donors—none of whom were screened for HIV until the mid- to late 1980s. Bruce D. Walker, Scientific American, 1 July 2012 The current autonomous mobility systems for planetary exploration are wheeled rovers, limited to flat, gently-sloping terrains and agglomerate regolith. IEEE Spectrum, 5 Mar. 2021 But Krugman leads us further astray by agglomerating his data by state without noting the finer demographic points that might tell a different story. Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, 10 Dec. 2019 The first human brain balls—aka cortical spheroids, aka neural organoids—agglomerated into existence just a few short years ago. Megan Molteni, WIRED, 3 Apr. 2018
Noun
The merger between Penguin Random House (itself an agglomerate of two giant publishing corporations) and Simon & Schuster, for example, came as a result of the publishing industry’s ongoing struggles with Amazon. Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, 22 Dec. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'agglomerate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

borrowed from Latin agglomerātus, past participle of agglomerāre "to heap up, mass together, join forces," from ad- ad- + glomerāre "to form into a ball, collect into a mass," verbal derivative of glomer-, glomus "ball-shaped mass" — more at clam entry 1

Adjective

borrowed from Latin agglomerātus, past participle of agglomerāre "to heap up, mass together" — more at agglomerate entry 1

Noun

borrowed from Latin agglomerātus, past participle of agglomerāre "to heap up, mass together" — more at agglomerate entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1632, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1805, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of agglomerate was in 1632

Dictionary Entries Near agglomerate

Cite this Entry

“Agglomerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agglomerate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

agglomerate

1 of 2 verb
ag·​glom·​er·​ate ə-ˈgläm-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce agglomerate (audio)
agglomerated; agglomerating
: to gather into a ball, mass, or cluster

agglomerate

2 of 2 noun
ag·​glom·​er·​ate ə-ˈgläm-ə-rət How to pronounce agglomerate (audio)
1
: a jumbled mass or collection
2
: a rock composed of volcanic pieces of various sizes

Medical Definition

agglomerate

1 of 2 transitive verb
ag·​glom·​er·​ate ə-ˈgläm-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce agglomerate (audio)
agglomerated; agglomerating
: to gather into a ball, mass, or cluster
agglomeration noun

agglomerate

2 of 2 noun
ag·​glom·​er·​ate -rət How to pronounce agglomerate (audio)
: a jumbled mass or collection
probably a virus or agglomerates of a virusE. A. Steinhaus

More from Merriam-Webster on agglomerate

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!