conglomerate: Meaning and Definition of

con•glom•er•ate

Pronunciation: (n., adj.kun-glom'ur-it, kung-v.kun-glom'u-rāt&sec, kung-), [key]
— n., adj., v., -at•ed, -at•ing.
—n.
  1. anything composed of heterogeneous materials or elements.
  2. a corporation consisting of a number of subsidiary companies or divisions in a variety of unrelated industries, usually as a result of merger or acquisition.
  3. a rock consisting of pebbles or the like embedded in a finer cementing material; consolidated gravel.
—adj.
  1. gathered into a rounded mass; consisting of parts so gathered; clustered.
  2. consisting of heterogeneous parts or elements.
  3. of or pertaining to a corporate conglomerate.
  4. of the nature of a conglomerate.
—v.t.
  1. to bring together into a cohering mass.
  2. to gather into a ball or rounded mass.
—v.i.
  1. to collect or cluster together.
  2. (of a company) to become part of or merge with a conglomerate.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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