merger vs consolidation

merger and consolidation both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
merger	Yes	No	No	No
consolidation	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, consolidation is a hypernym of merger; that is, consolidation is a word with a broader meaning than merger:

Other hypernyms of merger include integration.

merger (noun)	consolidation (noun)
the combination of two or more commercial companies	the act of combining into an integral whole
an occurrence that involves the production of a union	combining into a solid mass
	something that has consolidated into a compact mass