noun · verb · 10 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:/ˈkɒn.flu.əns/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Atlantic-Canada, General-American:/ˈkɑnˌflu.əns/
Atlantic-Canada, General-American:/kənˈflu.əns/
Canada, dialectal:/ˈkɒn.flu.əns/of the US
rhymes with -ɒnfluəns
rhymes with -uːəns
CMU ARPABET:K AA1 N F L UW0 AH0 N S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The act of combining that occurs where two rivers meet.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The confluence of the rivers produced a great rush of water.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The act of combining that occurs where two rivers meet.
The place where two rivers, streams, or other continuously flowing bodies of water meet and become one, especially where a tributary joins a river.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
We encountered an abandoned boat at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: watersmeet
Antonyms: fork, branch
3
noun
Meaning 3
The act of combining that occurs where two rivers meet.
The stream or body formed by the junction of two or more streams; a combined flood.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A convergence or combination of forces, people, or things.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The confluence of our skills resulted in a successful home renovation project.
The political turmoil was the result of a confluence of factors, and the corollary of years of misrule, as evidenced by a low home ownership rate incommensurate with the economic growth.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: coinfluence
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
The proportion of cells, in a culture medium, that adhere to each other.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: biology, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
A property describing which terms can be rewritten with other, equivalent terms.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
verb
Meaning 7
To join together into one stream.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
a coming together of people
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: concourse
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: merging, meeting, coming together
9
noun
Meaning 9
a flowing together
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: conflux, merging
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: blend, blending
10
noun
Meaning 10
a place where things merge or flow together (especially rivers)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
Pittsburgh is located at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: meeting
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: geographic point, geographical point
History
Etymology
From late Middle English confluence, from Late Latin cōnfluentia (“a flowing together, conflux”), from cōnfluēns (present participle of cōnfluō (“to flow or run together”)) + -ia (nominal suffix).
Across languages
Translations
62 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Aromanian:
measticã
— point where two rivers or streams meet
West Coast Bajau:
boa' soang
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Bengali:
সঙ্গম
(śoṅgom)
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Bengali:
বেণি
(beni)
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Bulgarian:
слива́не
(sliváne)
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Catalan:
confluència
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Cornish:
kemper
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Czech:
soutok
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Esperanto:
kunfluejo
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Estonian:
liitumiskoht
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Finnish:
yhtymäkohta
— point where two rivers or streams meet
French:
confluent
— point where two rivers or streams meet
French:
confluence
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Galician:
confluencia
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Galician:
mestas
— point where two rivers or streams meet
German:
Zusammenfluss
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Gujarati:
વેણી
(veṇī)
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Gujarati:
સંગમ
(saṅgam)
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Hebrew:
מפגש נהרות
(mifgash neharot)
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Hungarian:
torkolat
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Iranun:
minanga
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Irish:
suaithneamh
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Japanese:
合流点
(gōryūten)
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Latin:
confluens
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Malay:
kuala
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Malayalam:
സംഗമം
(saṅgamaṁ)
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Manx:
co-strooan
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Māori:
pūrua
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Māori:
pūruatanga pūau
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Māori:
pūtahitanga
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Māori:
komititanga
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Central Melanau:
kala
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Nepali:
दोभान
(dobhān)
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Norwegian Bokmål:
samløp
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Norwegian Nynorsk:
samløp
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Polish:
zbieg
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Polish:
konfluencja
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Portuguese:
confluência
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Romanian:
confluență
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Russian:
слия́ние
(slijánije)
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Slovak:
sútok
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Spanish:
confluencia
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Swedish:
sammanflöde
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Swedish:
konfluens
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Tamil:
ஆற்றுச்சந்தி
(āṟṟuccanti)
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Tulu:
kudala (kudala)
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Walloon:
maxhe
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Welsh:
aber
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Welsh:
cydlifiad
— point where two rivers or streams meet
Bulgarian:
стича́не
(stičáne)
— convergence or combination
Cornish:
kemper
— convergence or combination
Finnish:
yhdistäminen
— convergence or combination
Finnish:
yhdistyminen
— convergence or combination
French:
confluent
— convergence or combination
French:
convergence
— convergence or combination
Hungarian:
egyesítés
— convergence or combination
Māori:
tūtakitanga
— convergence or combination
Norwegian:
konfluens
— convergence or combination
Portuguese:
confluência
— convergence or combination
Russian:
стече́ние
(stečénije)
— convergence or combination
Russian:
комбинация
(kombinacija)
— convergence or combination
