COMBINATION

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does combination mean? 

• COMBINATION (noun)
  The noun COMBINATION has 7 senses:

1. a collection of things that have been combined; an assemblage of separate parts or qualities

2. a coordinated sequence of chess moves

3. a sequence of numbers or letters that opens a combination lock

4. a group of people (often temporary) having a common purpose

5. an alliance of people or corporations or countries for a special purpose (formerly to achieve some antisocial end but now for general political or economic purposes)

6. the act of arranging elements into specified groups without regard to order

7. the act of combining things to form a new whole

  Familiarity information: COMBINATION used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COMBINATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A collection of things that have been combined; an assemblage of separate parts or qualities

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("combination" is a kind of...):

accumulation; aggregation; assemblage; collection (several things grouped together or considered as a whole)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "combination"):

haplotype ((genetics) a combination of alleles (for different genes) that are located closely together on the same chromosome and that tend to be inherited together)

amalgam (a combination or blend of diverse things)

color scheme; colour scheme (a planned combination of colors)

complexion (a combination that results from coupling or interlinking)

Derivation:

combine (put or add together)

combine (mix together different elements)

combine (gather in a mass, sum, or whole)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A coordinated sequence of chess moves

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("combination" is a kind of...):

sequence (serial arrangement in which things follow in logical order or a recurrent pattern)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A sequence of numbers or letters that opens a combination lock

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Context example:

he forgot the combination to the safe

Hypernyms ("combination" is a kind of...):

sequence (serial arrangement in which things follow in logical order or a recurrent pattern)

Derivation:

combinatorial (relating to or involving combinations)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A group of people (often temporary) having a common purpose

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Context example:

they were a winning combination

Hypernyms ("combination" is a kind of...):

social unit; unit (an organization regarded as part of a larger social group)

Derivation:

combinatorial (relating to or involving combinations)

combine (gather in a mass, sum, or whole)

combine (join for a common purpose or in a common action)

Sense 5

Meaning:

An alliance of people or corporations or countries for a special purpose (formerly to achieve some antisocial end but now for general political or economic purposes)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("combination" is a kind of...):

alignment; alinement; alliance; coalition (an organization of people (or countries) involved in a pact or treaty)

Domain category:

government; political science; politics (the study of government of states and other political units)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "combination"):

combination in restraint of trade ((law) any monopoly or contract or combination or conspiracy intended to restrain commerce (which are illegal according to antitrust laws of the United States))

Derivation:

combinatorial (relating to or involving combinations)

combine (gather in a mass, sum, or whole)

combine (join for a common purpose or in a common action)

Sense 6

Meaning:

The act of arranging elements into specified groups without regard to order

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("combination" is a kind of...):

mathematical operation; mathematical process; operation ((mathematics) calculation by mathematical methods)

Derivation:

combinatorial (relating to the combination and arrangement of elements in sets)

combine (put or add together)

combine (gather in a mass, sum, or whole)

Sense 7

Meaning:

The act of combining things to form a new whole

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

combination; combining; compounding

Hypernyms ("combination" is a kind of...):

change of integrity (the act of changing the unity or wholeness of something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "combination"):

affixation; attachment (the act of attaching or affixing something)

confusion (an act causing a disorderly combination of elements with identities lost and distinctions blended)

admixture; commixture; intermixture; mix; mixing; mixture (the act of mixing together)

fusion (the act of fusing (or melting) together)

blend; blending (the act of blending components together thoroughly)

interspersal; interspersion (the act of combining one thing at intervals among other things)

temperance (the act of tempering)

conjugation; jointure; unification; union; uniting (the act of making or becoming a single unit)

consolidation; integration (the act of combining into an integral whole)

Derivation:

combinatorial (relating to or involving combinations)

 Context examples 

A synthetic p-aminophenol derivative and diphenhydramine combination with anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anti-allergic properties.

(Acetaminophen/Diphenhydramine, NCI Thesaurus)

An abbreviation for a chemotherapy combination used to treat childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

(ADE, NCI Dictionary)

Other indications include hypertension, alone or in combinations with other agents.

(Acebutolol, NCI Thesaurus)

An abbreviation for a chemotherapy combination used to treat breast cancer.

(AC-T, NCI Dictionary)

An abbreviation for a chemotherapy combination used with other types of therapy to treat breast cancer, including breast cancer that has spread or come back.

(AC, NCI Dictionary)

Consists of various combinations of papillary, acinar and solid structures.

(Adenocarcinoma with Mixed Subtypes of the Mouse Pulmonary System, NCI Thesaurus/MMHCC)

A replication incompetent adenovirus encoding the human pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-12 (IL-12) (INXN-2001) in combination with the proprietary activator ligand INXN-1001, with potential immunomodulating and antineoplastic activities.

(Adenovirus-mediated Human Interleukin-12 INXN-2001 Plus Activator Ligand INXN-1001, NCI Thesaurus)

Amoxicillin-clavulanate potassium is a type of combination antibiotic.

(Amoxicillin-clavulanate potassium, NCI Dictionary)

Heart formation is cued by a combination of positive and negative signals from surrounding tissues.

(ALK Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

By targeting AKT, the key node in the PIK3/AKT signaling network, this agent may be used as monotherapy or combination therapy for a variety of human cancers.

(Akt inhibitor AZD5363, NCI Thesaurus)