confluence

noun

1
: a coming or flowing together, meeting, or gathering at one point
At the confluence of Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo cultures, Santa Fe is the symbolic heart of the Southwest.Jeffrey Steingarten
A hip urban confluence of tasting rooms, galleries, and surfboard designers, it's a place where wine, art and beach culture coalesce.Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Every once in a while in pop music there is a magical confluence: the right performers doing the right music with the right support.Ralph Novak
Italian influences have marked not only the style of architecture in Passau but also the way of life. Then, of course, Eastern Europe is next door. There are many confluences, it seems.N. Scott Momaday
2
a
: the flowing together of two or more streams
A complex lacework of waterways formed by the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, the delta is the state's major water source …Robert B. Gunnison
Confluences are a basic building block of river networks on all scales.Chris Paola
b
: the place of meeting of two streams
… quaint Carbondale is set at the confluence of the Crystal and Roaring Fork Rivers.National Geographic
c
: the stream or body formed by the junction of two or more streams : a combined flood
… and eventually chose, disastrously, the only place in Assam where it was impossible for tea to thrive, being regularly drowned by the confluence of two huge rivers, a more suitable terrain for rice.Christian Lamb
3
or confluency cell biology : the degree of substrate coverage that is exhibited by proliferating, adherent cells cultured in a laboratory vessel (such as a petri dish or flask)
At days 12-14, cell confluence reached 80%.Runguang Li et al.
The measurement of cell confluency is used to determine the growth phase of cells …Mee Foong et al.
also : complete coverage of a culture substrate by proliferating, adherent cells
When the cells reach confluence, they form aggregates and can be serially cultured. C. A. B. Jahoda et al.
Replicate dishes of pooled cells were grown to confluency and induced with Newcastle disease virus … Hermann Ragg and Charles Weissmann

Did you know?

The joining of rivers—as at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, where the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers flow together spectacularly—was the original meaning of confluence, and in its later meanings we still hear a strong echo of the physical merging of waters. So today we can speak of a confluence of events, a confluence of interests, a confluence of cultures, and so on, from which something important often emerges.

Examples of confluence in a Sentence

the Mississippi River's confluence with the Missouri River a happy confluence of beautiful weather and spectacular scenery during our vacation
Recent Examples on the Web Among the most outspoken is Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, who has pointed to the confluence of lax gun laws and expanded self-defense as contributing to Kansas City’s high homicide rate, which reached a new record in 2023. Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 8 Mar. 2024 What happens far less frequently is the confluence of several days of a snowless and largely windless freeze that results in the smooth, black ice that’s perfect for wild skating—skimming across naturally frozen, unmaintained bodies of water. Cinnamon Janzer, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Feb. 2024 This confluence of factors has left some business owners scrambling to adapt. Samantha Delouya, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024 It is surrounded by water thanks to its location by the confluence of the Neuse and Trent Rivers, and the city has more than its fair share of greenery. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 22 Jan. 2024 Palmer knew that the parcel, located on a ridge called Badger Mountain, near the confluence of the Wenatchee and Columbia rivers, was historically a high-traffic corridor for the škwáxčənəxʷ and šnp̍əšqʷáw̉šəxʷ peoples (also known as the Moses Columbia and Wenatchi tribes). B. “toastie” Oaster, ProPublica, 19 Jan. 2024 Debra Krol reports on Indigenous communities at the confluence of climate, culture and commerce in Arizona and the Intermountain West. The Arizona Republic, 16 Feb. 2024 Direct From The Global Factory Floor Temu’s business model takes advantage of the confluence between Chinese manufacturers drowning in excess capacity and American consumers smarting from post-Covid-19 price shocks. Drew Bernstein, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 In 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated 7,500 people lived in unincorporated Savage, at the confluence of the Little and Middle Patuxent rivers in southeastern Howard County. Jillian Atelsek, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'confluence.' 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

see confluent entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of confluence was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near confluence

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

confluence

noun
1
: a coming together to one place
2
: a flowing together or place of meeting especially of streams

More from Merriam-Webster on confluence

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