gather

1 of 2

verb

gath·​er ˈga-t͟hər 

 also  ˈge-

gathered; gathering ˈga-t͟hə-riŋ 

ˈgat͟h-

transitive verb

1

: to bring together : collect

tried to gather a crowd

gathered firewood

2

a

: pick, harvest

gather flowers

b

: to pick up or amass as if by harvesting

gathering ideas for the project

c

: to scoop up or take up from a resting place

gathered the child up in his arms

3

: to serve as an attraction for : accumulate

books gathering dust

4

: to effect the collection of

gather contributions

5

a

: to summon up

gathered his courage

b

: to gain by gradual increase

gather speed

c

: to prepare (oneself) by mustering strength

d

: to gain or regain control of

gathered his wits

6

: to reach a conclusion often intuitively from hints or through inferences

I gather that you want to leave

7

a

: to pull (fabric) along a line of stitching so as to draw into puckers

b

: to draw about or close to something

gathering her cloak about her

c

: to bring together the parts of

gathered her hair into a ponytail

d

: to assemble (the signatures of a book) in sequence for binding

e

: to haul in

the sailors gathered the sails

intransitive verb

1

a

: to come together in a body

b

: to cluster around a focus of attraction

2

a

: to swell and fill with pus

b

: grow, increase

the gathering crisis

gatherer

ˈga-t͟hər-ər 

 also  ˈge-

noun

gather

2 of 2

noun

1

: something brought together: such as

a

: a puckering in cloth made by gathering (see gather entry 1 sense 7a)

b

: a mass of molten glass collected for use in glassblowing

2

: an act or instance of bringing together

Synonyms

Verb

• accumulate
• amass
• assemble
• bulk (up)
• collect
• concentrate
• congregate
• constellate
• corral
• garner
• group
• lump
• pick up
• round up

Choose the Right Synonym for gather

gather, collect, assemble, congregate mean to come or bring together into a group, mass, or unit.

gather is the most general term for bringing or coming together from a spread-out or scattered state.

a crowd quickly gathered

collect often implies careful selection or orderly arrangement.

collected books on gardening

assemble implies an ordered union or organization of persons or things often for a definite purpose.

experts assembled for a conference

congregate implies a spontaneous flocking together into a crowd or huddle.

congregating under a shelter

synonyms see in addition infer

Examples of gather in a Sentence

Verb

Give me just a minute to gather my things and then we can leave.

The coach gathered her players together.

She gathered her hair into a ponytail.

The child was gathering flowers to give to his mother.

The police are continuing to gather evidence relating to the crime.

Volunteers have been gathering contributions for the new library.

A crowd began to gather on the sidewalk.

The players gathered together to hear the coach's game plan.

The bicyclists gathered speed as they went downhill.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The trend has been squarely rising for the past decade, gathering pace in the pandemic, to become a defining way to travel for wealthy privacy-hunters and families looking for a hyper-luxe set-up to fly and flop across the generations. —Giles Hattersley, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2025

Israelis gathered in a Tel Aviv square, watching the hostage release live on a large screen. —Daniel Estrin, NPR, 15 Feb. 2025

Noun

Yves Herman | Reuters As the world’s defense and security elite gathers for the Munich Security Conference, the future of Ukraine, peace talks with Russia and reshaping Europe’s security and defense architecture will be at the fore of discussions. —Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 14 Feb. 2025

Their victory over Texas A&M in the season opener will carry substantial weight five months later when the selection committee gathers in Indianapolis. —Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 29 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English gaderen, from Old English gaderian; akin to Middle High German gadern to unite — more at good

Noun

derivative of gather entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing gather

• gain/gather steam
• gather/gain momentum
• gather momentum/strength

Kids Definition

gather

1 of 2 verb

gath·​er ˈgat͟h-ər 

 also  ˈget͟h-

gathered; gathering ˈgat͟h-(ə-)riŋ 

1

: to bring together : collect

2

: pick entry 1 sense 2b, harvest

3

: to gain by gradual increase

gather speed

4

: to prepare (as oneself) by calling on strength

gather courage to dive

5

: to draw about or close to something

6

: to pull (cloth) along a line of stitching so as to draw into puckers

7

: guess sense 1, deduce

8

: to come together in a body or around a center of attraction

a crowd gathered round

9

: increase entry 1, grow

a storm gathered outside

gatherer

ər-ər 

noun

gather

2 of 2 noun

: the result of gathering cloth : pucker

Medical Definition

gather

intransitive verb

gath·​er ˈgat͟h-ər, ˈget͟h- 

gathered; gathering -(ə-)riŋ 

: to swell and fill with pus

the boil is gathering