United

How to spell united

6 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce united

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does united mean?

1. adjectiveJoined together or acting as a single whole, in agreement or common purpose.
2. verbPast tense of unite: joined or combined to form a single whole.

United in a sentence

• adjective

  The team stayed united despite a difficult season.

• verb

  The crisis united the staff behind a single plan.

• adjective

  The two regions formed a united front against the proposal.

• verb

  A shared goal united the rival groups for one afternoon.

Where does united come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin unire, meaning 'to make one' or 'to join together', which was itself built on unus, the Latin word for 'one'. The past participle unitus passed into late Middle English through Old French, giving the verb 'unite', and 'united' is its participial form used as an adjective for things joined into a single whole. The core idea has always been numerical: many parts brought together to act as one, which is why the same unus root sits inside everyday words like 'unit', 'union', and 'unique'. The spelling stays remarkably faithful to that Latin source, with the single 'n' and the 'i' before 't' reflecting unitus rather than any English reshaping. Recognising the buried 'one' inside the word is a reliable way to remember it begins 'uni-', not 'uny-' or 'unni-'.

How the word is built

• un- (one, from unus)
• -ite (verbal root, to make one)
• -ed (past participle/adjective suffix)