noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/kəʊˈhiː.ʒən/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Canada, General-American:/koʊˈhi.ʒən/
Australian:/kəʉˈhiː.ʒən/
Australian:[kəʉˈhɪi.ʒn̩]cultivated
New-Zealand:/kɐʉˈhiː.ʒən/
rhymes with -iːʒən
CMU ARPABET:K OW0 HH IY1 ZH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
State of cohering, or of working together.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Examples
Unit cohesion is important in the military.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: coherence, coherency, cohesiveness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: connection, link, connectedness
Narrower terms: consistency, continuity
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Latin haereō Latin cohaereō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin cohaesiōlbor. French cohésionbor. English cohesion Attested from the late 17th century, borrowed from French cohésion, from Latin cohaesiō, cohaesiōnem.
Across languages
Translations
67 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
сцепление
(sceplenie)
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Catalan:
cohesió
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Chinese Mandarin:
銜接 /衔接
(xiánjiē)
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Chinese Mandarin:
凝聚力
(níngjùlì)
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Danish:
sammenhold
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Danish:
sammenhæng
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Danish:
samhørighed
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Dutch:
cohesie
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Dutch:
samenhang
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Finnish:
koheesio
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Finnish:
yhtenäisyys
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Finnish:
yhteistoiminta
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
French:
cohésion
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
German:
Zusammenhalt
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Greek:
συνοχή
(synochí)
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Hungarian:
kohézió
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Hungarian:
összetartás
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Indonesian:
kohesi
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Japanese:
結合
(ketsugō)
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Latin:
cohaesiō
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Malay:
kejeleketan
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Malay:
kohesi
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Persian:
انسجام
(ensejâm)
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Polish:
koherencja
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Polish:
kohezja
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Polish:
spójność
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Portuguese:
coesão
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Russian:
еди́нство
(jedínstvo)
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Russian:
сплочённость
(spločónnostʹ)
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Russian:
сцепле́ние
(sceplénije)
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Russian:
связь
(svjazʹ)
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Spanish:
cohesión
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Swahili:
mshikamano
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Swedish:
sammanhållning
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Turkish:
bağlılık
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Ukrainian:
згурто́ваність
(zhurtóvanistʹ)
— the state of cohering, or of sticking together
Bulgarian:
кохезия
(kohezija)
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
Catalan:
cohesió
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
Chinese Mandarin:
凝聚力
(níngjùlì)
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
Danish:
sammenhængskraft
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
Finnish:
koheesio
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
French:
cohésion
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
Hungarian:
kohézió
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
Japanese:
凝集力
(gyōshūryoku)
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
Korean:
응집력
(eungjimnyeok)
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
Polish:
kohezja
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
Portuguese:
coesão
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
Russian:
коге́зия
(kogézija)
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
Russian:
сцепле́ние
(sceplénije)
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
Spanish:
cohesión
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
Swahili:
mshikamano
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
Turkish:
kohezyon
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
Turkish:
içyapışkanlık
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
Ukrainian:
коге́зія
(kohézija)
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
Ukrainian:
зче́плення
(zčéplennja)
— the various intermolecular forces that hold solids and liquids together
Finnish:
yhteen kasvaminen
— the growing together of normally distinct parts of a plant
Polish:
kohezja
— the growing together of normally distinct parts of a plant
Russian:
сраста́ние
(srastánije)
— the growing together of normally distinct parts of a plant
Catalan:
cohesió
— the degree to which functionally related elements belong together
Finnish:
koheesio
— the degree to which functionally related elements belong together
Hungarian:
kohézió
— the degree to which functionally related elements belong together
Japanese:
凝集度
(gyōshūdo)
— the degree to which functionally related elements belong together
Polish:
spójność
— the degree to which functionally related elements belong together
Portuguese:
coesão
— the degree to which functionally related elements belong together
Russian:
свя́зность
(svjáznostʹ)
— the degree to which functionally related elements belong together
Finnish:
koheesio
— linguistics: grammatical or lexical relationship
Finnish:
sidoksisuus
— linguistics: grammatical or lexical relationship
