Combine Meaning
/kəmˈbaɪn/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo bring (two or more things or activities) together; to unite.
verbTo have two or more things or properties that function together.
Sentence Examples
You had better combine your work with your family life.
It is hard to combine business with pleasure.
Hydrogen and oxygen combine to form water.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Farmers often ____ two different crops to improve soil fertility.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
You need to ____ the flour and sugar before adding milk.
Word Origin & History
PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English combynyn, from Middle French combiner, from Late Latin combīnāre (“unite, yoke together”), from Latin con- (“together”) + bīnī (“two by two”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Conditions were horrendous aboard most British naval vessels at the time. Scurvy and other diseases ran rampant, killing more seamen each year than all other causes combined, including combat."
— 2012 March 26, William E. Carter, Merri Sue Carter, “The British Longitude Act Reconsidered”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 87:
"You with your foes combine, / And seem your own destruction to design."
— 1675, John Dryden, Aureng-zebe: A Tragedy. […], London: […] T[homas] N[ewcomb] for Henry Herringman, […], published 1676, →OCLC, (please specify the page number):
"So sweet did harp and voice combine."
— 1805, Walter Scott, “(please specify the page)”, in The Lay of the Last Minstrel: A Poem, London: […] [James Ballantyne] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, […], and A[rchibald] Constable and Co., […], →OCLC:
"I am combined by a sacred vow."
— c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:
"When those combine wheels stops turnin'
And the hard days work is done
Theres a pub around the corner
It's the place we 'ave our fun"
— 1976, The Wurzels, I Am A Cider Drinker:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Farmers often ____ two different crops to improve soil fertility.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
You need to ____ the flour and sugar before adding milk.