To integrate means to combine separate parts into a unified whole, or to include someone or something as part of a larger group. When you integrate different ideas into an essay, you weave them together so they work as one complete argument rather than a jumble of disconnected thoughts. When a school integrates new technology into its classrooms, it blends computers and tablets into regular teaching instead of keeping them separate.

The word carries special significance in American history. When schools were integrated in the 1950s and 1960s, Black and white students began learning together in the same classrooms after decades of forced separation. This monumental change required courage from students, families, and leaders who believed everyone deserved equal treatment under the law.

In mathematics, integration refers to a calculation that finds the area under a curve, essentially adding up infinitely small pieces to find a total. You'll learn this technique if you study calculus in high school.

The opposite of integrate is segregate, which means to keep things or people separate. When you integrate something successfully, the parts work together so smoothly that you can barely tell where one ends and another begins, like mixing paint colors or blending voices in a choir.