lump together

lump together (third-person singular simple present lumps together, present participle lumping together, simple past and past participle lumped together)

1. To put different items or groups together and regard or treat them as one single group.

   Synonym: conflate

   People tend to lump turtles and tortoises together, when in fact they are different creatures.

   • April 14, 2007, The Guardian, The poorest of the poor

     "Those who asked the authorities for help were a mixed bag: elderly, unemployed, sick or injured, widows, orphans, the mentally ill; all were lumped together in a "one size fits all" welfare system."