What does integrate mean?
Integrate means to bring separate parts together so that they form a more complete, coordinated whole. It can describe combining materials or ideas, incorporating data into a system, or bringing a group into an existing organisation. The verb often implies more than simple proximity: the parts are made to work together or fit into a unified structure. In mathematics, integrate has a specialised meaning: it is to calculate the indefinite integral of a function, or equivalently to find an antiderivative. The word is common in academic, technical, and professional contexts, where expressions such as “integrate data” and “integrate with existing systems” describe linking components efficiently. Its everyday figurative uses preserve the underlying idea of wholeness, making integrate a useful word for describing both practical coordination and abstract unification.
To combine or incorporate elements so that they form a unified whole or become part of a larger system; in mathematics, to find the indefinite integral of a function.
"The team worked to integrate the new app with the company's existing services."
In general contexts, the object of the verb may be omitted when integration is understood: “The two systems integrate seamlessly.”
Entire or unified; made into a complete whole.
"The essay presents an integrate view of the country's economic history."
This adjective is now uncommon and has a formal or literary tone; “integrated” or “holistic” is usually more natural in modern usage.
From the same mathematical root as “integer,” integrate began with the idea of making something whole—and still carries that sense from data systems to calculus.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of integrate
Integrate comes from Latin integrare, meaning “to make whole,” formed from integer, meaning “whole” or “untouched.” The word entered English in the 17th century and initially referred to making something complete or restoring it to an entire state. Its mathematical sense developed from the concept of the integral as a whole quantity assembled from infinitesimal parts. English cognates such as integer, integrity, and integral share the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How integrate is actually used
The word is widely used in technical, academic, and organisational contexts. In mathematics, “integrate” is the standard verb corresponding to the integral; in general use, it often suggests deliberate coordination or seamless incorporation.
Easily confused with integrate
Integrate means to combine or incorporate elements into a whole, whereas immigrate means to move to another country to settle there.