conglomerate

A large company made up of smaller companies working in different areas of business.

• A large conglomerate owns the newspaper.
• The conglomerate bought three food companies last year.
• Several international conglomerates have offices here.

Similar words: business group

Common phrases: media conglomerate, industrial conglomerate, multinational conglomerate

A rock made of rounded stones or pieces of gravel held together by finer material.

• The cliff is made of conglomerate.
• Rounded pebbles are visible in this conglomerate.
• We found several layers of conglomerate above the sandstone.

Common phrases: conglomerate rock, layer of conglomerate, coarse conglomerate

Gathered closely together into a single group or mass.

• The plant bears conglomerate flowers.
• Under the microscope, the cells formed a conglomerate mass.
• These conglomerate flower heads contain many tiny blooms.

Similar words: clustered, bunched

Common phrases: conglomerate flowers, conglomerate clusters, conglomerate mass

Made of pieces of rock or rounded stones held firmly together.

• The workers cut through conglomerate rock.
• We examined the conglomerate layers beneath the soil.
• These conglomerate deposits contain large rounded stones.

Common phrases: conglomerate rock, conglomerate layers, conglomerate deposits

To join together or collect things into a larger mass.

• Small particles conglomerate into larger lumps.
• Heat conglomerated the loose material into a solid mass.
• The fragments slowly conglomerated at the bottom of the tank.

How to use it: conglomerate into something (The grains conglomerated into a single lump.)

Similar words: combine, cluster, agglomerate

Opposites: separate

Common phrases: conglomerate into something, conglomerate particles

To bring several businesses together as one larger company.

• The owners planned to conglomerate several small firms.
• Those businesses conglomerated into a single corporation.
• The group conglomerated companies from several unrelated industries.

How to use it: conglomerate into something (The smaller companies conglomerated into a large industrial group.)

Similar words: merge, combine, consolidate

Common phrases: conglomerate several companies, conglomerate into something