Say it like this
- Can you merge this PR?
- This is ready to merge.
- We merged the feature branch yesterday.
- There's a merge conflict here.
- Let's merge main into develop first.
- That commit is merged to production.
Use it at work
Code review
- Can I merge this, or are you still reviewing?
- Merged! Thanks for the review.
Process
- Please don't merge without CI passing.
- Squash and merge to keep history clean.
Business
- The two teams are merging next month.
- Let's merge these two docs into one.
Don't say this
In Git, you merge branches, not individual files. The phrase should use 'branch' and 'into' not 'to'.
Don't mix it up
| Term | What it is | Who writes or uses it | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| merge | Combine branches, keep history | Developers | After review |
| rebase | Replay commits on a new base | Developers | Clean history |
| squash | Combine commits into one | Developers | Before merge |
Practice
Try it
4 quick exercises
1. Your teammate asks about integrating the feature branch. Which response sounds most natural?
2. Which sentence has an error?
3. Complete the sentence: 'Can you _______ this branch into main before we ship?'
4. Rewrite this awkwardly: 'I want to merge my code to the main file together with John's code.' Make it sound natural and technical.
Say it out loud
Phrase 1 of 6
"Can you merge this PR?"
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More about Merge
Real examples(7)
- Code Review
"The PR looks good—I'll merge it as soon as the tests pass."
- Slack
"Hey, can you merge the payment feature? We want to ship it today."
- Standup
"I finished the authentication work and merged it to main this morning."
- GitHub PR
"Conflicts resolved. Ready to merge once CI passes."
- Jira Ticket
"Merged to staging for QA testing. Expected in production next Wednesday."
- Retrospective
"We should have merged to develop earlier to catch that bug sooner."
- Interview
"In my last project, I handled merging feature branches daily and resolving merge conflicts."
More mistakes(2)
- ✕Can you merge this code?✓Can you merge this PR? / Can you merge this branch?
You merge branches or pull requests, not 'code.' Be specific about what you're merging.
- ✕We need to merge the changes together.✓We need to merge the branch. / We need to merge the changes.
Don't say 'merge together'—it's redundant. Just 'merge' alone is clear and natural.
Other forms(5)
- merge verb (base form)
"Let's merge this feature before the sprint ends."
- merged verb (past tense)
"I merged the PR yesterday afternoon."
- merging verb (present participle)
"We're merging the develop branch into main right now."
- merge noun
"This merge introduces three new API endpoints."
- merged adjective
"The merged code is now in production."
Often used with(6)
- merge a branch · The most common usage—combining one branch into another.
- merge a pull request / PR · Finalizing a code review and integrating the changes.
- merge conflict · When two branches modify the same code and Git can't automatically combine them.
- merge into main · Integrating changes into the primary production branch.
- ready to merge · Code that has passed tests and is approved for integration.
- merge request · The GitLab term for what GitHub calls a 'pull request.'
Similar words(4)
- integrate · More formal term for bringing changes together. 'Integrate the feature' = 'merge the feature.' Used in formal documentation.
- combine · Generic term. 'Combine the branches' works but is less technical than 'merge.'
- incorporate · Similar formality to 'integrate.' Slightly older usage, less common in modern Git workflows.
- squash · Different—squash combines multiple commits into one before merging, used to keep history clean.
Opposites(4)
- diverge
- branch (off)
- revert
- split
Questions(6)
- What's the difference between 'merge' and 'rebase'?
- Merge combines two branches and creates a new 'merge commit.' Rebase replays your commits on top of another branch, keeping history linear. Merge is safer for shared branches; rebase is cleaner for local branches.
- What is a merge conflict?
- A merge conflict happens when two branches changed the same code and Git can't automatically decide which version to keep. You must manually resolve it by choosing which changes to keep.
- Can I merge a branch into itself?
- No, that doesn't make sense. You merge one branch INTO another. You can't merge a branch into itself.
- Is 'merge' the same as 'pull request'?
- Not exactly. A pull request is a request to review and merge code. The actual 'merge' is the final action that combines the branches after approval.
- What does 'squash and merge' mean?
- It combines all commits from a branch into a single commit before merging. This keeps the main branch's history clean and easier to read.
- Who can merge a PR?
- Usually maintainers or team leads have permission to merge. Sometimes anyone can merge their own PRs, depending on your team's rules.
