adjoin
Americanverb (used with object)
-
adjoins,
present (3rd person singular)
-
adjoined,
past participle, past
-
adjoining
present participle
-
to be close to or in contact with; abut on.
His property adjoins the lake.
-
to attach or append; affix.
verb (used without object)
-
adjoins,
present (3rd person singular)
-
adjoined,
past participle, past
-
adjoining
present participle
verb
-
to be next to (an area of land, etc)
-
to join; affix or attach
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
adjoinsimple
-
adjoinssimple
-
have adjoinedperfect
-
has adjoinedperfect
-
am adjoiningprogressive
-
are adjoiningprogressive
-
is adjoiningprogressive
-
have been adjoiningperfect progressive
-
has been adjoiningperfect progressive
Past
-
adjoinedsimple
-
had adjoinedperfect
-
was adjoiningprogressive
-
were adjoiningprogressive
-
had been adjoiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of adjoin
1275–1325; Middle English a ( d ) joinen < Middle French ajoindre. See ad-, join
Explanation
Things that adjoin are next to each other or share a boundary. Two adjoining states are neighbors. The United States adjoins Canada. Just as the word join suggests togetherness, things that adjoin are together in a specific way. They're adjacent, which means they're butting right up against one other. Two adjoining buildings are connected or next-door neighbors. Two adjoining states share a border. If two rooms adjoin, they are connected by a door or they share a wall. When things adjoin, they have a physical connection.
Vocabulary lists containing adjoin
Close Encounters: Synonyms for "Near"
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The Dawes Act
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The Marrow Thieves
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The witness was also asked by the lawyer about safety issues that could have arisen for local families whose back gardens adjoin the waste ground where the culvert is located.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
Both major projects will adjoin the new transport infrastructure.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 18, 2023
Citing previous Court opinions, the plurality stated that an adjacent wetland must abut or adjoin a regulated water.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 11, 2023
Communities that adjoin the park are not endangered, and no evacuations have been ordered.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 21, 2016
Sturdy red bricks adjoin pale stone accented by ornamental flourishes.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
At the Old Dutch Church Burying Ground, which adjoins the larger Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Mr. Ocker examines gravestones that may have inspired Irving’s character names—Katrina Van Tassel is one of them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Kei Nakai says he’ll miss the most his parents’ home — a skinny, green two-story building that adjoins the nursery on Grevillea Avenue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2025
The Barents Sea, which adjoins the Arctic Ocean, is one of the most productive oceanic areas in the world and home to an enormous diversity of organisms.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2023
Trains will make eight stops between Redmond Technology Station, which adjoins the Microsoft campus, and South Bellevue Station, which is equipped with a new 1,500-stall park-and-ride garage.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 24, 2023
The jail contains six cells; the sixth, the one reserved for female prisoners, is actually an isolated unit situated inside the Sheriff’s Residence—indeed, it adjoins the Meiers’ kitchen.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
If data centers occupy the caverns, any improper water management or heat discharge could quickly become an immediate risk to adjoined residential neighborhoods.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2023
Led by a single instructor who moves back and forth between two adjoined studio spaces, about a dozen students warm up with an intricate series of moves that combine carefully choreographed footwork with upper-body strikes.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 4, 2023
That structure consists of adjoined cubes that rest on unarticulated columns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 30, 2022
So I went to my room, that adjoined Father’s, and wasted time on my phone screen, and thought how I could be doing this at home, and fell asleep.
From Slate ● Dec. 29, 2020
Ikwa looked so close to Mbandaka, like it almost adjoined.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
The Los Angeles County Fire Department told The Times the fire broke out inside an auto-body shop and spread to an adjoining building that contained several businesses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
She bought the apartment anyway, and knocked down the kitchen’s walls, opening it up to an adjoining dining area.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
The bedroom also overlooks the backyard, while the adjoining bathroom features Italian blue glass tile, giving the space a spa-inspired appearance.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
Environmentalists also say river bank fortifications destroy shallow-water zones where aquatic life and insects breed -- and the adjoining natural floodplains that act like sponges at times of excess water.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Her family had been given rooms adjoining hers, but the palace was so large that she could hardly believe they were sleeping under the same roof.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
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