coordinate
koh-OR-dih-nate
/koʊˈɔːrdɪneɪt/
To organize dynamic parts, activities, or people so they work together efficiently and smoothly.
Focuses on alignment, timing, and harmonious interaction between multiple trades or teams.
The story behind the word. Formed from Latin 'co-' (together) and 'ordinare' (to arrange in rank or row, from 'ordo'). To coordinate is literally to place things into orderly ranks side by side.
Word relationships
- harmonize: Harmonize emphasizes aesthetic or peaceful agreement, while coordinate emphasizes logistical order.
- orchestrate: Orchestrate carries a connotation of complex artistic or masterminding control.
- disorganize: To disrupt structure and create orderless confusion.
- clash: To come into conflict or direct physical or temporal opposition.
Commonly confused with
- subordinate: Subordinate means placing in a lower rank; coordinate means bringing into equal, orderly cooperation.
Word family
- coordination (noun): The act of coordinating activities.
- coordinator (noun): A person who coordinates.
Collocations
- coordinate efforts
- coordinate logistics
- closely coordinate
- coordinate work
Idioms & expressions
- in coordinated fashion
Example sentences
- "The site manager must coordinate electrician schedules with dry-wallers to avoid operational bottlenecks." Project Scheduling
Memory hook
CO-ORDINATE brings people together (co) into strict ORDER. Bringing order together.
When not to use
Do not confuse with simply commanding or ordering people around.
Fun facts
- BIM (Building Information Modeling) software uses 3D space coordinates to automatically spot when pipes and beams conflict before building starts.
Related words
Explore more words
coordination, logistics, orchestrate, integrate, mobilize, alignment
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