Kevin
January 30, 2021
Common Questions

This article will give you all of the necessary knowledge on the phrase in conjunction with, including its meaning, origin, usage, example sentences and more!

What does the phrase in conjunction with mean?

The phrasal adverb in conjunction with means done or used with something else, according to Collins English Dictionary. If one thing is done in conjunction with another, this means that the two things are done or used jointly or together. This phrase can be used in normal speech, but can also be a legal term, usually used on things like coupons. A coupon may detail in the fine print that it cannot be used “in conjunction with” any other special offers or discounts.

What is a conjunction?

According to Your Dictionary, a conjunction is a type of word that is the “glue” that holds together clauses, phrases, or words in sentences. There are three different types of conjunctions. With conjunctions, people are able to write extended sentences by using conjunctions to link phrases and clauses together.

The first type of conjunction is a coordinating conjunction. These are the most common type of conjunction. There are seven of these that link words, phrases, and clauses, listed below:

For – Used to explain reason or purpose
And – Used to add an additional word or phrase
Nor – Used to show an additional negative idea
But – Used to contrast one thing to another
Or – Used to present an alternative
Yet – Used to present a contrasting idea
So – Used to indicate result or effect

On the other hand, a subordinating conjunction always introduces a dependent clause to the beginning or end of the main clause. An independent clause is a phrase that could be its own sentence, grammatically. A dependent clause, or subordinate clause, could not be its own sentence.

There are many types of subordinators when it comes to conjunctions, and some popular examples in English are below:

Although
Before
Once
That
When
Whether
As
How
Since
Though
Whenever
While
Because
If
Than
Until
Where
Why

The final type of conjunctions are correlative conjunctions. These come in pairs, and one must use them as a team in a sentence for them to make sense. One could say they must be used in conjunction with each other! These connect two equal grammatical terms. Some common examples of correlative conjunctions in English are below.

Not only/but also
Not/but
Neither/nor
Either/or
Whether/or
Both/and

Overall, a conjunction is a part of speech that performs the act of joining two separate parts of a sentence to form a longer one. These can be words, phrases, or clauses. There are three separate types of conjunctions. Conjunctions bring two separate parts together, similarly to the way the phrase in conjunction with brings two ideas, people, or things together. Another similar part of speech is the preposition.

How can the phrase in conjunction with be used in a sentence?

The phrase in conjunction with has a plethora of uses. Below are a few examples of using the phrase in conjunction with in a sentence. Ms. Hannigan, a middle school teacher, is assigning a group project to her class.

Ms. Hannigan: The project is due two weeks from Friday. I want to make it clear that this is a group project. All work must be done in conjunction with your other teammates. If there is a team member that is not pulling their weight, or if one of you ends up doing all the work, let me know. Work together!

Here, Ms. Hannigan uses the phrase in conjunction with to tell her class that they must work with their project partners on the assignment, and that it is not an individual assignment. Next, Anna gives a presentation in her meeting about advertising for the city’s upcoming activities.

Anna: We will promote the drive-in movie in conjunction with the planetarium reopening. Since the drive-in takes place in the planetarium parking lot, people can make a night out of it and visit the planetarium before the movie. This way, we drive revenue to both events.

Here, Anna states that the concurrence of the two city events will be promoted in conjunction with one another, or together. Finally, Laci works the checkout counter at a retail store. A customer hands her a stack of coupons to use on her items.

Laci: I’m sorry, ma’am, but I can only use one of these coupons.

Customer: You mean you can’t use them all together?

Laci: I unfortunately cannot; the system doesn’t let me combine coupons. Here on the back it says the coupon “cannot be used in conjunction with other offers or discounts.”

Customer: Ah, I should have read the fine print!

Laci: No problem, happens all the time! I’ll see which coupon gives you the biggest discount.

Customer: Thank you!

Here, Laci refers to the fine print on the back of the coupon to show the customer that she cannot combine her coupons due to store policy.

What is the origin of the phrase in conjunction with?

According to Etymonline, the word conjunction rose to popularity in the late 14th century, meaning a joining or meeting of people or things. Originally, this describes planets like Venus or stars meeting in the sky, from the 12th century Old French conjonction, which means “union or joining.” This stems from the Latin coniunctionem or coniugare, which meant “with or together.” Its modern usage to describe the grammatical device started in the late 14th century. Other words from this common root include conjugation and conjunctive. In Spanish, the word conjunction translates to conjunción.

What are synonyms and antonyms for the phrase in conjunction with?

There are many different ways that one can convey the meaning of the connective phrase in conjunction with. These are listed below from Thesaurus and Merriam-Webster.

In combination with
Together with
Along with
As well as
In addition to
Cooperatively
In collaboration with
In partnership with
In unison
As one
Plus
With
Including
Conjointly
Too

Antonyms, or opposites of the phrase in conjunction with, are also listed below:

Excluding
Separately from
Independently of
Solely
Singly
Apart from
Disjointly
Distinctly
Individually
Alone

Overall, the phrase in conjunction with is used when two things, people, or ideas, are done or used together. This is a common phrase both in everyday speech as well as in legal terminology.

Sources:

Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.