collect
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
collects,
present (3rd person singular)
-
collected,
past participle, past
-
collecting
present participle
-
to gather together; assemble.
The professor collected the students' exams.
-
to accumulate; make a collection of.
to collect stamps.
- Antonyms:
- scatter, distribute
-
to receive or compel payment of.
to collect a bill.
-
to regain control of (oneself or one's thoughts, faculties, composure, or the like).
At the news of her promotion, she took a few minutes to collect herself.
-
to call for and take with one: They collected their mail.
He drove off to collect his guests.
They collected their mail.
-
Manège. to bring (a horse) into a collected attitude.
-
Archaic. to infer.
verb (used without object)
-
collects,
present (3rd person singular)
-
collected,
past participle, past
-
collecting
present participle
-
to gather together; assemble.
The students collected in the assembly hall.
-
to accumulate.
Rainwater collected in the barrel.
-
to receive payment (often followed byon ).
He collected on the damage to his house.
-
to gather or bring together books, stamps, coins, etc., usually as a hobby.
He's been collecting for years.
-
Manège. (of a horse) to come into a collected attitude.
adjective
noun
verb
-
to gather together or be gathered together
-
to accumulate (stamps, books, etc) as a hobby or for study
-
(tr) to call for or receive payment of (taxes, dues, etc)
-
(tr) to regain control of (oneself, one's emotions, etc) as after a shock or surprise
he collected his wits
-
(tr) to fetch; pick up
collect your own post
he collected the children after school
-
slang to receive large sums of money, as from an investment
he really collected when the will was read
-
informal (tr) to collide with; be hit by
-
the US term for cash on delivery
adverb
noun
noun
Synonym Usage
See gather.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
collectsimple
-
collectssimple
-
have collectedperfect
-
has collectedperfect
-
am collectingprogressive
-
are collectingprogressive
-
is collectingprogressive
-
have been collectingperfect progressive
-
has been collectingperfect progressive
Past
-
collectedsimple
-
had collectedperfect
-
was collectingprogressive
-
were collectingprogressive
-
had been collectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of collect1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin collēctus (past participle of colligere “to collect”), equivalent to col- “with, together” + leg- (stem of legere “to gather”) + -tus past participle suffix; see col- 1
Origin of collect2
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English collecte, from Old French collecte, colete, and Medieval Latin collecta, short for ōrātiō ad collēctam “prayer at collection”; see origin at collect 1
Explanation
The verb collect describes gathering or bringing something together. Charity organizations often collect warm coats for people in need. Other people who want to help those in need seek monetary donations. If you volunteer for a charity, you may collect on behalf of the charity — meaning you get donations. Collect can also refer to getting payment for money that is owed. If you owe money to someone, eventually he'll find you and say, "I'm here to collect."
Vocabulary lists containing collect
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme
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"A Natural Balance" and "In My Dreams"
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
When do you expect to collect Social Security?
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 11, 2026
Volunteers helped collect and sort through the cards and began putting them up in a break room, where Jackie’s care team could feel supported.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2026
Often, their children don’t share their same tastes or compulsion to collect, and even billionaire families are realizing how expensive it is to maintain them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026
Future robotic construction systems could help scientists build gigantic space telescopes that collect more light, radio antennas capable of supporting advanced communications, and enormous solar arrays designed to capture sunlight in orbit.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2026
“Gee, do you think if we collect fifty cans for Winky tomorrow, he’ll give us another nickel?”
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
One account on TikTok called spicychathouse compared the contents of the calendar to things "my cat collects from around my house".
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026
The company collects fees from businesses when people use its cards, and co-branded cardholders tend to be especially profitable because they’re eager to earn the card’s rewards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026
Vantara collects genetic data to help prevent inbreeding among Asiatic lions, is building a university, and pledges to fund overseas conservation projects.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
The company collects “usage-based” revenue, rather than a fixed subscription revenue, making its returns from OpenAI hard to predict.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
“Because Omi collects pebbles, and other stuff. Max’s mom got them at a fancy candy store. Never mind.”
From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee
She said the company collected wood from several sites across Oxfordshire.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
It is financed primarily by payroll taxes collected from workers and employers, with trust-fund reserves invested in special-issue U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 10, 2026
However, subsequent analyses incorporating data collected through 2018 could not confirm the earlier evidence for Bd → μ+μ-.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 10, 2026
Such solar power systems could potentially transmit collected energy wirelessly to receivers on Earth, an idea being explored through Caltech's Space Solar Power Project.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2026
Nim scrambled up and collected shirtfuls of putrid sea muck.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
If you are already collecting Social Security and you make more than $24,480 in 2026, $1 is deducted from your benefits for every $2 you earn over that limit.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 10, 2026
Importantly, these results were comparable to those achieved with CAR NK cells produced through the more traditional method of collecting NK cells, modifying them outside the body, and then returning them to the animals.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2026
Church, though, had the last word for Australia - collecting Losana Lutu's kick around 30 metres from her own line before racing clear to score.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2026
He began collecting rainwater in his helmet and would chew on ice if he didn’t have the patience to melt it using his burner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Green-and-white sap trickled out, collecting into pools, and began flowing across the ground toward Percy.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
