connection
Other forms: connections
The word connection is good for talking about the way things relate to each other. Your special connection to your cousin might have something to do with your mutual love for science fiction and barbecue.
A connection can be physical, like the leash that provides the connection between you and your German shepherd, or emotional, like the connection you feel with your best friend. Any kind of direct relation is a connection as well, such as the connection a detective makes between a footprint at a crime scene and a suspect's favorite pair of shoes. The root is the Latin connexionem, "a binding or joining together."
Definitions of connection
-
a relation between things or events (as in the case of one causing the other or sharing features with it)“there was a connection between eating that pickle and having that nightmare”
-
synonyms:
connectedness, connexion
-
Antonyms:
-
unconnectedness
the lack of a connection between things
-
types:
- show 18 types...
- hide 18 types...
-
series
(electronics) connection of components in such a manner that current flows first through one and then through the other
-
alliance, bond
a connection based on kinship or marriage or common interest
-
linkage
an associative relation
-
communication
a connection allowing access between persons or places
-
concatenation
the linking together of a consecutive series of symbols or events or ideas etc
-
bridge
something resembling a bridge in form or function
-
involvement
a connection of inclusion or containment
-
relevance, relevancy
the relation of something to the matter at hand
-
relatedness
a particular manner of connectedness
-
silver cord
the emotional bond between a mother and her offspring
-
link, nexus
the means of connection between things linked in series
-
implication
a relation implicated by virtue of involvement or close connection (especially an incriminating involvement)
-
comprehension, inclusion
the relation of comprising something
-
materiality
relevance requiring careful consideration
-
cogency
persuasive relevance
-
point
a style in speech or writing that arrests attention and has a penetrating or convincing quality or effect
-
applicability, pertinence, pertinency
relevance by virtue of being applicable to the matter at hand
-
bearing
relevant relation or interconnection
-
type of:
-
relation
an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together
-
unconnectedness
-
the process of bringing ideas or events together in memory or imagination
-
synonyms:
association, connexion
-
types:
-
colligation
the connection of isolated facts by a general hypothesis
-
generalisation, generalization, induction, inductive reasoning
reasoning from detailed facts to general principles
-
type of:
-
memory, remembering
the cognitive processes whereby past experience is remembered
-
colligation
-
the state of being connected“the connection between church and state is inescapable”
-
synonyms:
connectedness, link
-
Antonyms:
-
disconnectedness, disconnection, disjunction, disjuncture
state of being disconnected
-
types:
- show 8 types...
- hide 8 types...
-
contact
the state or condition of touching or of being in immediate proximity
-
concatenation
the state of being linked together as in a chain; union in a linked series
-
interconnectedness, interconnection
a state of being connected reciprocally
-
coherence, coherency, cohesion, cohesiveness
the state of cohering or sticking together
-
osculation
(mathematics) a contact of two curves (or two surfaces) at which they have a common tangent
-
tangency
the state of being tangent; having contact at a single point or along a line without crossing
-
consistency
logical coherence and accordance with the facts
-
continuity
uninterrupted connection or union
-
type of:
-
unification, union
the state of being joined or united or linked
-
disconnectedness, disconnection, disjunction, disjuncture
-
the act of bringing two things into contact (especially for communication)“there was a connection via the internet”
-
types:
- show 18 types...
- hide 18 types...
-
hit
a connection made via the internet to another website
-
interconnection
(computer science) the act of interconnecting (wires or computers or theories etc.)
-
intersection
the act of intersecting (as joining by causing your path to intersect your target's path)
-
approximation, bringing close together
the act of bringing near or bringing together especially the cut edges of tissue
-
concatenation
the act of linking together as in a series or chain
-
convergence, convergency, converging
the act of converging (coming closer)
-
coming upon, encounter
a casual meeting with a person or thing
-
articulation
the act of joining things in such a way that motion is possible
-
adjunction, junction
an act of joining or adjoining things
-
attachment, fastening
the act of fastening things together
-
coming together, meeting, merging
the act of joining together as one
-
bonding, soldering
fastening firmly together
-
doweling
fastening by dowels
-
earthing, grounding
fastening electrical equipment to earth
-
linkage
the act of linking things together
-
ligature, tying
the act of tying or binding things together
-
welding
fastening two pieces of metal together by softening with heat and applying pressure
-
fixation
the activity of fastening something firmly in position
-
type of:
-
change of integrity
the act of changing the unity or wholeness of something
-
an instrumentality that connects“he soldered the connection”
-
synonyms:
connecter, connective, connector, connexion
-
types:
- show 26 types...
- hide 26 types...
-
attachment, bond
a connection that fastens things together
-
backbone
the part of a network that connects other networks together
-
earth, ground
a connection between an electrical device and a large conducting body, such as the earth (which is taken to be at zero voltage)
-
hitch
a connection between a vehicle and the load that it pulls
-
hookup
a device providing a connection between a power source and a user
-
jumper
a small connector used to make temporary electrical connections
-
conjunction, junction
something that joins or connects
-
slip ring
connection consisting of a metal ring on a rotating part of a machine; provides a continuous electrical connection through brushes on stationary contacts
-
line, phone line, subscriber line, telephone circuit, telephone line
a telephone connection
-
patch, temporary hookup
a connection intended to be used for a limited time
-
coupling, yoke
a connection (like a clamp or vise) between two things so they move together
-
contact, tangency
(electronics) a junction where things (as two electrical conductors) touch or are in physical contact
-
DSL, digital subscriber line
a generic name for digital lines that are provided by telephone companies to their local subscribers and that carry data at high speeds
-
hot line
a direct telephone line between two officials
-
joint
junction by which parts or objects are joined together
-
booster cable, jumper cable, jumper lead, lead
a jumper that consists of a short piece of wire
-
barrier strip, junction barrier
a junction unit for connecting 2 cables without the need for plugs
-
land line, landline
a telephone line that travels over terrestrial circuits
-
ligament
any connection or unifying bond
-
party line
a telephone line serving two or more subscribers
-
private line
a telephone line serving a single subscriber
-
splice, splicing
a junction where two things (as paper or film or magnetic tape) have been joined together
-
thermojunction
a junction between two dissimilar metals across which a voltage appears
-
toll line
a telephone line for long-distance calls
-
trunk line
a telephone line connecting two exchanges directly
-
WATS, WATS line
a telephone line;long distance service at fixed rates for fixed zones; an acronym for wide area telephone service
-
type of:
-
instrumentality, instrumentation
an artifact (or system of artifacts) that is instrumental in accomplishing some end
-
a connecting shape
-
types:
-
node
a connecting point at which several lines come together
-
articulation, join, joint, junction, juncture
the shape or manner in which things come together and a connection is made
-
esophagogastric junction, oesophagogastric junction
the junction between the esophagus and the stomach epithelium
-
node
-
shifting from one form of transportation to another“the plane was late and he missed his connection in Atlanta”
-
synonyms:
connexion
-
type of:
-
conveyance, transfer, transferral, transport, transportation
the act of moving something from one location to another
-
conveyance, transfer, transferral, transport, transportation
-
(usually plural) a person who is influential and to whom you are connected in some way (as by family or friendship)“he has powerful connections”
-
type of:
-
acquaintance, friend
a person with whom you are acquainted
-
acquaintance, friend
-
a supplier (especially of narcotics)
Pronunciation
US
/kəˈnɛkʃən/
UK
/kəˈnɛkʃən/
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘connection'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Look up connection for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
