Merge
In plain terms
Combining changes from one branch into another.
Going deeper
Merging integrates the commits from a source branch into a target, reconciling differences and flagging conflicts where the same lines changed. It's how parallel work rejoins.
Under the hood
Fast-forward merges move a pointer; three-way merges create a merge commit. Conflicts arise when the same lines diverge and require manual resolution.
Examples
git merge, pull-request merges, merge commits, resolving conflict markers <<<<<<<.
Think of it like...
Like blending two cooks' edits to the same recipe into one final version, pausing where they disagree on an ingredient.