gather
Americanverb (used with object)
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to bring together into one group, collection, or place.
to gather firewood; to gather the troops.
- Synonyms:
- hoard, garner, amass, accumulate
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to bring together or assemble from various places, sources, or people; collect gradually.
The college is gathering a faculty from all over the country.
- Synonyms:
- hoard, garner, amass, accumulate
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to serve as a center of attention for; attract.
A good football game always gathers a crowd.
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to pick or harvest (any crop or natural yield) from its place of growth or formation.
to gather fruit; to gather flowers.
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to pick up piece by piece.
Gather your toys from the floor.
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to pick or scoop up.
She gathered the crying child in her arms.
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to collect (as taxes, dues, money owed, etc.).
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to accumulate; increase.
The storm gathers force.
The car gathered speed.
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to take by selection from among other things; sort out; cull.
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to assemble or collect (one's energies or oneself ) as for an effort (often followed byup ).
He gathered up his strength for the hard job.
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to learn or conclude from observation; infer; deduce.
I gather that he is the real leader.
- Synonyms:
- understand, assume
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to wrap or draw around or close.
He gathered his scarf around his neck.
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to contract (the brow) into wrinkles.
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to draw (cloth) up on a thread in fine folds or puckers by means of even stitches.
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Bookbinding. to assemble (the printed sections of a book) in proper sequence for binding.
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Nautical. to gain (way) from a dead stop or extremely slow speed.
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Metalworking. to increase the sectional area of (stock) by any of various operations.
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Glassmaking. to accumulate or collect (molten glass) at the end of a tube for blowing, shaping, etc.
verb (used without object)
-
to come together around a central point; assemble.
Let's gather round the fire and sing.
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to collect or accumulate.
Clouds were gathering in the northeast.
- Synonyms:
- accrete
-
to grow, as by accretion; increase.
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to become contracted into wrinkles, folds, creases, etc., as the brow or as cloth.
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to come to a head, as a sore in suppurating.
noun
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a drawing together; contraction.
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Often gathers. a fold or pucker, as in gathered cloth.
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an act or instance of gathering.
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an amount or number gathered, as during a harvest.
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Glassmaking. a mass of molten glass attached to the end of a punty.
idioms
verb
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to assemble or cause to assemble
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to collect or be collected gradually; muster
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(tr) to learn from information given; conclude or assume
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(tr) to pick or harvest (flowers, fruit, etc)
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(tr; foll by to or into) to clasp or embrace
the mother gathered the child into her arms
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(tr) to bring close (to) or wrap (around)
she gathered her shawl about her shoulders
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to increase or cause to increase gradually, as in force, speed, intensity, etc
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to contract (the brow) or (of the brow) to become contracted into wrinkles; knit
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(tr) to assemble (sections of a book) in the correct sequence for binding
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(tr) to collect by making a selection
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(tr) to prepare or make ready
to gather one's wits
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to draw (material) into a series of small tucks or folds by passing a thread through it and then pulling it tight
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(intr) (of a boil or other sore) to come to a head; form pus
noun
-
-
the act of gathering
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the amount gathered
-
-
a small fold in material, as made by a tightly pulled stitch; tuck
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printing an informal name for section
Related Words
Gather, assemble, collect, muster, marshal imply bringing or drawing together. Gather expresses the general idea usually with no implication of arrangement: to gather seashells. Assemble is used of objects or facts brought together preparatory to arranging them: to assemble data for a report. Collect implies purposeful accumulation to form an ordered whole: to collect evidence. Muster, primarily a military term, suggests thoroughness in the process of collection: to muster all one's resources. Marshal, another term primarily military, suggests rigorously ordered, purposeful arrangement: to marshal facts for effective presentation.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gather
First recorded before 900; Middle English gaderen, Old English gaderian, derivative of geador “together,” akin to gæd “fellowship”; cf. together, good
Explanation
Gather is a verb with many related meanings, most involving drawing together or assembling something. You may gather your socks into the laundry bag, or you may gather your thoughts by making a list. Gather often is used to describe bringing people together for some purpose, like the students who gather in the hallway awaiting an announcement. Gather can also refer to an increase or gain, like when you gather speed and go faster on your bike. Gather can describe coming to a conclusion or an understanding. After listening to your brother's comments and watching him pack up his video games, you may gather that he isn't going to be around for dinner.
Vocabulary lists containing gather
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade 11)
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Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
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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.
Gather proof of residency, citizenship documents like a birth certificate and passport, and documentation related to any dependents, the law firm says.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 4, 2026
At that time, actress and talk show host Drew Barrymore was starting a new home-appliance business with Shae Hong, the founder of Made By Gather.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026
In November 2024, Louise Gather travelled from her home in Derby to Bradgate Park, Leicester in search of magpie inkcaps - a rare kind of fungus.
From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026
Gather for Good co-founder Steph Chen’s earliest pie memories involve scraping the rich remnants of banana cream pie filling off her father’s plate once he’d had his fill.
From Salon • Jun. 19, 2025
Someone called out: “Try to sleep. Gather your strength for the journey.”
From "Night" by Elie Wiesel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
