Merge: Combining the changes from one branch into another.

Example

Once your Pull Request is approved, your feature branch is merged into the main branch.

Why Merge matters for IT interns

Merging is the moment your work becomes part of the real product.

Where you will hear it

You will use this term almost daily when working on code with a team, through Git, GitHub, or a similar tool. If someone uses it and you are not sure what they mean in your project, it is completely fine to ask; every team uses terms a little differently.

Related terms

  • Git: The tool most software teams use to keep track of every change made to the code.
  • GitHub: A website that stores Git repositories online and adds team features like Pull Requests, code review and…
  • Main Branch: The primary branch of a repository, holding the stable, accepted code.
  • Merge Conflict: When Git can’t combine two changes automatically because both edited the same lines, so a person has to…
  • Pull: Bringing the latest changes from the shared remote repository into your local copy.
  • Pull Request (PR): A Pull Request is a request to merge your code changes from one branch into another branch, usually after…

Previous term: Meeting Etiquette  |  Next term: Merge Conflict

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

What is Merge?

Combining the changes from one branch into another.

What is an example of Merge?

Once your Pull Request is approved, your feature branch is merged into the main branch.

Why does Merge matter for IT interns?

Merging is the moment your work becomes part of the real product.

Explore more internship terms

The IT Internship Glossary explains 199 terms you will hear before and during your internship, with simple definitions and real examples.

Browse all 199 terms
Dhaivat Ajwaliya

About the author

Dhaivat Ajwaliya

Dhaivat has 16+ years of experience in the IT industry, working on AI and cloud technologies, project delivery, and engineering leadership. He has interviewed and mentored many interns, wrote The Lost Intern, and runs the non-commercial Career Impact Initiative, mentoring students for free.