What does coincide mean?
To coincide is to happen at the same time as something else, to occupy the same place, or — by extension — to agree or correspond exactly. The word carries a slightly formal register and appears constantly in news reporting ('the announcement coincided with the stock market's fall'), historical writing, and everyday talk about schedules and timing. It can describe pure temporal overlap, as when two festivals land on the same weekend, or a striking alignment of content, as when two witnesses give accounts that coincide on every point. Because coincidence itself suggests chance, saying two things coincide subtly hints they may be more than accidental — writers use this to imply significance without asserting causation. The noun form, coincidence, names the surprising overlap itself. Coincide takes the preposition 'with': one thing coincides with another. Its precision makes it valuable wherever exact correspondence matters — in science, law, and journalism alike.
verbTo occur at the same time or occupy the same place; more broadly, to be in agreement or exact correspondence with something else.
- (of events or circumstances) to occur at the same time
- (of places or things) to occupy the same position or space
- to be in agreement or exact correspondence (as of opinions, interests, or accounts)
"The festival happened to coincide with her birthday, so the whole town celebrated together."
"The eclipse coincided with the summer solstice, drawing crowds to ancient stone circles."
"Their accounts of the evening coincide in every detail, which lends credibility to both."
"Fortunately, the end of the conference coincides with the start of the jazz festival."
Coincide literally means to 'fall together' — from Latin cadere, 'to fall' — so two events that coincide are, etymologically speaking, falling into the same moment.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of coincide
Coincide comes from medieval Latin 'coincidere', formed from the prefix 'co-' ('together') and 'cadere' ('to fall'), literally meaning 'to fall together'. It entered English in the early modern period, around the late 16th or early 17th century, initially carrying the literal sense of occupying the same space — as in geometry — before extending to simultaneous events and then to abstract agreement. The root 'cadere' also gives English words such as accident, incident, occasion, and decay, all preserving the idea of falling or happening.
Related word forms
How coincide is actually used
Coincide is a formal-to-neutral verb common in written English, particularly in journalism, academic writing, and careful speech. It is typically used with the preposition 'with'. In the sense of agreement, it often appears in discussions of matching evidence, testimony, or interests. It is not used for people physically meeting — 'we coincided at the café' would sound odd; 'met' is the natural choice.
Easily confused with coincide
Collide means to crash into something with force, while coincide means merely to happen at the same time or match exactly.