collection

noun

col·​lec·​tion kə-ˈlek-shən 

1

: the act or process of collecting

the collection of data

the collection of taxes

2

a

: something collected

especially : an accumulation of objects gathered for study, comparison, or exhibition or as a hobby

a collection of poems

a collection of photographs

a baseball card collection

b

: group, aggregate

a collection of symptoms, such as fatigue, headaches, and joint pain

c

: a set of apparel designed for sale usually in a particular season

the designer's spring collection of dresses

Synonyms of collection

• library
• assemblage
• assortment
• repertoire

Examples of collection in a Sentence

a system of tax collection

The technology makes data collection easier.

There will be a trash collection this week.

The museum's collection is one of the best in the country.

We took up a collection for the school renovations.

Ten percent of the collection goes to the city's shelters for homeless people.

Recent Examples on the Web

At the top of the 1970s building, the duplex suite comes with two bedrooms and a private terrace with sweeping vistas of Rio’s mountains, and space for a full family or collection of friends. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 May 2026

Instead, hormone signals and the glands that produce them are part of a communication system that organises every cell, turning collections of independently functioning cells, tissues and organs into an interconnected human body. —Literary Hub, 20 May 2026

The country has spent two decades building museums, commissioning public art, and assembling blue-chip collections. —Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 20 May 2026

The images capture the cast trekking across the desert, gathering around a campfire and stepping out of a vehicle, wearing a collection defined by technical fabrics and functional detailing. —Andrea Onate, Footwear News, 20 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English colleccioun, collection, borrowed from Anglo-French collection, borrowed from Latin collēctiōn-, collēctiō "bringing together, accumulation," from colleg-, variant stem of colligere "to gather together, assemble, accumulate, pull (oneself) together" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at collect entry 2

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing collection

• sub-collection

Rhymes for collection

• abjection
• advection
• affection
• bijection
• bisection
• complexion
• confection
• connection
• connexion
• convection
• correction
• defection

Kids Definition

collection

noun

col·​lec·​tion kə-ˈlek-shən 

1

: the act or process of collecting

2

a

: something collected

especially : an accumulation of objects gathered for study, comparison, or exhibition or as a hobby

b

: set entry 2 sense 7

3

: a gathering of money

take up a collection