Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - combination

~ n 1 two or more different things, qualities, substances etc that are used or put together  (a perfect wine and food combination) + of  (A combination of factors may be responsible for the increase in cancer. | a screen heroine who is a combination of the modern and the traditional | A combination of tact and authority was needed to deal with the situation.) in combination (with)  (Certain drugs which are safe when taken separately are lethal in combination.) 2 a number of things chosen from a group and put in a particular order  (Certain combinations of sounds are not possible in English. | an unusual combination of colours) 3 the series of numbers or letters you need to open a combination lock  (I've forgotten the combination for my bicycle lock!) 4 a winning combination a mixture of different people or things that work successfully together 5 especially AmE used before a noun in some phrases to mean that something does more than one job or uses more than one method  (a combination of washer and dryer | combination chemotherapy) 6 combinations BrE old-fashioned a piece of underwear covering the upper part of your body and legs, worn especially in the past; union suit