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coordinate

koh-AWR-dn-eyt /koʊˈɔːɹdɪneɪt/

verbnounadjectiveB2IELTSTOEFLACT

professionalacademicconversational

To bring the different elements of a complex activity or organization into a harmonious or efficient relationship.

Focuses on organization, timing, and logistics to ensure different parts work together without friction.

The story behind the word. From the Latin 'coordinare', meaning 'to place in the same order'. It entered English in the 17th century, originally referring to things of equal rank, before evolving to mean the active alignment of complex systems.

Word relationships

organize: Organize means to arrange things systematically, while coordinate specifically implies making different moving parts work in harmony.

disorganize: Disorganize means to throw into confusion or disorder.

Commonly confused with

cooperate: Cooperate is the willingness to work together, while coordinate is the actual logistical management of that work.

Word family

coordination (noun): The organization of the different elements of a complex body or activity.
coordinator (noun): A person whose job is to organize a complex event or activity.

Collocations

coordinate activities
coordinate a response
closely coordinate

Example sentences

"She was hired to coordinate the international conference, managing schedules for over fifty speakers." Event planning
"It was difficult to coordinate the movements of so many independent commands over such a vast territory." Military history

Memory hook

Think of 'co-' (together) + 'order'. To coordinate is to bring things into order together. Bring order together.

When not to use

Do not use when describing a simple, single-person task that requires no external alignment.

Fun facts

In mathematics, 'coordinates' are a set of values that show an exact position on a map or graph.