Together (adverb) — in the company of another person or people; in combination. Used to describe two or more people or things acting, existing, or joined as one unit.
Etymology
Together comes from Old English togædere, formed from to (to) and gædere (together, in a body), which is related to gaderian — meaning to gather. The root idea is one of assembly and union. The word has been used in English since before the 12th century with remarkably little change in meaning, making it one of the most stable adverbs in the language.
What Does Together Mean?
Together is one of the most common adverbs in everyday English. It typically appears after a verb to show that an action involves more than one person or thing acting as a unit: They sang together. It can also describe physical proximity (They sat together at the back), the combining of components (Mix the flour and butter together), or the idea of simultaneity (Let us all speak together).
The prepositional phrase together with is particularly useful in formal and academic writing as a way of adding information without changing the grammatical subject of a sentence: The CEO, together with the board, has approved the proposal. Notice that the verb agrees with CEO, not with the whole phrase.
Do not confuse together with altogether (meaning completely or in total) or all together (everyone at once). These are distinct words with different meanings.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| They worked together to solve the problem. | A2 | joint action, most common use |
| We always eat dinner together as a family. | A2 | habitual action with a group |
| She put the broken pieces of the vase back together. | B1 | combining physical objects |
| The report, together with its appendices, runs to over 200 pages. | B2 | together with in formal writing |
| The two phenomena, taken together, suggest a systematic failure in oversight. | C1 | academic/formal register |
Common Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| work together | The two departments work together on every project. |
| come together | The community came together after the flood. |
| put together | She put together a detailed report in one afternoon. |
| stay together | Despite the difficulties, the team stayed together. |
| hold together | It is the shared values that hold the organisation together. |
| bring together | The festival brings together artists from across Europe. |
| get together | We should get together for coffee sometime this week. |
| pull together | Everyone pulled together to meet the deadline. |
| tie together | The conclusion ties the main arguments together neatly. |
| fit together | The pieces of the puzzle fit together perfectly. |
Usage Notes
Position in a sentence: Together most naturally follows the verb or verb phrase it modifies: They sang together. It can also appear at the end of a longer sentence: We decided to approach the problem together. Placing it immediately before a noun is unusual for the adverb; if you see a together plan, this is informal slang, not standard grammar.
Together with vs. and: Together with is not grammatically the same as and. When and joins two subjects, the verb becomes plural: The manager and the team are ready. But with together with, the verb agrees with only the first subject: The manager, together with the team, is ready. This is a frequent error in formal writing.
Together vs. altogether: These are entirely different words. Altogether means completely (That is altogether wrong) or in total (There were fifty people altogether). Never use altogether when you mean together.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
The director, together with the producers, were present at the meeting.
The director, together with the producers, was present at the meeting. (verb agrees with the first subject, not the whole phrase)
They were altogether in the same room when the news arrived.
They were all together in the same room when the news arrived. (altogether = completely; all together = all in one place)
We must to work together for solving this.
We must work together to solve this. (no infinitive marker after modal; use to-infinitive after together only when the main verb requires it)