union

Pluralunions

1. 1
   labor groupnouncountable

   An organized association of workers formed to protect and advance their shared interests in dealings with employers.

   The union negotiated a new contract with management last spring.

   Thousands of nurses joined the union after the dispute.

   UsagePeople join a union, belong to a union or are in a union; the union represents its members.

   Note

   The workers' organization, in full a trade union, came with a vocabulary of its own. W. B. Maxwell's The Mirror and the Lamp (1918) shows the setting. A union is started for unskilled men at a cement works, all but a few join, and one of those few, a blackleg, is waylaid by a picket and knocked out. Membership itself is expressed by the adjective use. Source

   Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

   • W. B. Maxwell wrote The Mirror and the Lamp. en.wiktionary.org
   • The Mirror and the Lamp was first published in 1918. openlibrary.org
   • The novel describes a union newly formed for unskilled cement workers, with all but a few joining. en.wiktionary.org
   • The passage describes one of the blacklegs being ambushed and knocked unconscious by a picket. en.wiktionary.org
2. 2
   US (Civil War)nounUSus

   The United States considered as a federation of states; in particular, its federal government and the states that remained loyal to it during the American Civil War.

   Union troops pushed south along the Mississippi in 1863, splitting the Confederacy in two.

   Hawaii was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth state in 1959.

   UsageWritten with a capital and the: the Union. States join it or are admitted to the Union.

   Note

   In Civil War history the word names one side: Union troops, Union generals and the Union army belong to the North, set against the Confederacy.

3. 3
   federationnouncountable

   Something formed by combining parts or members into a single body; a confederation, league, or consolidated whole.

   The customs union lets member countries trade goods without tariffs at their shared borders.

   Their merger created a union of two rival firms under one name.

   Similarfederation, alliance, confederation, league, coalition

4. 4
   nouncountable or uncountable

   The act of joining two or more things into one, or the state of being joined together or in agreement.

   The treaty brought the two kingdoms into union under a single crown.

   Decades of conflict gave way to a fragile union between the two communities.

   UsageThings are brought into union, and people live in union with something.

   Similarmerger

5. 5
   marriagenouncountable

   The act or state of marriage; the joining of two people as spouses.

   The priest blessed their union before the assembled guests.

   Friends and family gathered at a small church by the lake to celebrate the couple's union.

   Similarmarriage, partnership, match

   Oppositedivorce

6. 6
   adjective

   Belonging to, represented by, or otherwise connected with a labor union, as in union members, union rules, or union wages.

   The union members voted to approve the new agreement.

   Union wages at the plant were higher than the regional average.

   UsageBefore a noun (union dues) or after a verb: actors must be union. The opposite is nonunion.

   Similarunionized

   Oppositenonunion

7. 7
   campus buildingnouncountable

   A campus building at a college or university that houses facilities and services for student social life and recreation.

   The campus union stays open until midnight during finals week.

   Most clubs hold their meetings in rooms on the union's second floor.

8. 8
   student societynouncountable

   An association of university students formed for social or political purposes, sometimes serving as a debating society.

   The university union organized concerts and societies throughout the year.

   He honed his speaking skills at the college union's weekly debates.

9. 9
   national (India)adjectiveIndia

   In Indian usage, federal: belonging to or run by the national government rather than by one of the states.

   The Union finance minister presented the budget to Parliament this morning.

   The housing scheme is funded jointly by the Union and state governments.

   UsageBefore a noun, often with a capital: the Union government, a Union minister, the Union budget.

   Similarcentral, federal, national

   Oppositestate

   Note

   Indian English uses union where American English says federal. Outside India, union before a noun normally points to belonging to a labor union, so a "union minister" can be misread by readers unfamiliar with Indian usage.

10. 10
    sets (math)nouncountable

    The set containing every element that belongs to at least one of two or more given sets.

    The union of sets A and B includes every element found in either set.

    To compute the union, list each member that appears in at least one of the sets.

    UsageSay the union of A and B; as a verb, you can also union two sets.

    Oppositeintersection

    Note

    Set theory's word for "everything in either" is written with the cup symbol, A ∪ B, and read "A union B". An element belongs to it if it belongs to at least one of the sets. Because the result is itself a set, an element shared by both appears once, not twice.

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