What does coincided mean?
"Coincided" is the past tense of the verb "coincide," meaning that two or more events happened at the same time, or that one thing matched or corresponded exactly with another. It carries no implication of causation — when things coincided, they simply occurred together, whether by chance or by design. The word appears most often in the construction "coincided with," as in "the eclipse coincided with the solstice." It also describes agreement between accounts, measurements, or positions, as in "their stories coincided on every detail." Neutral in tone and equally at home in journalism, science, and casual conversation, it is a precise alternative to vaguer phrases like "happened at the same time as." Derived from Latin roots meaning "to fall upon together," it shares ancestry with words like "incident." Its noun relative, "coincidence," highlights the element of chance that often accompanies simultaneous occurrence.
verbPast tense and past participle of "coincide": to occur at the same time, or to be in exact agreement or correspondence with something else.
- (of events or circumstances) to occur at the same time
- to be in exact agreement, correspondence, or position with something else
"The festival coincided with the town's bicentennial celebrations."
"The launch of the new product coincided with a surge in consumer spending."
"Her account of the evening coincided exactly with her sister's."
Every time you say "coincided," you're literally saying two things "fell into" the same moment — the Latin root incidere means "to fall upon."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of coincided
"Coincided" comes from the verb "coincide," borrowed in the early 17th century from Medieval Latin "coincidere," formed from Latin "co-" (together) plus "incidere" (to fall upon or into). The literal image is of two things falling into the same place or moment. The same Latin root "incidere" gives English "incident" and "incidence," making them true etymological cousins.
Related word forms
How coincided is actually used
Register is neutral to slightly formal; common in journalism, academic writing, and everyday narrative. Almost always takes the preposition "with" when indicating what it occurs alongside.
Easily confused with coincided
"Coincided" is the verb form describing the act of occurring together or matching, while "coincidence" is the noun referring to the chance occurrence itself.