woolgathering

[ wool-gath-er-ing ]
See synonyms for: woolgatheringwoolgatherings on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. indulgence in idle fancies and in daydreaming; absentmindedness: His woolgathering was a handicap in school.

  2. gathering of the tufts of wool shed by sheep and caught on bushes.

Origin of woolgathering

1
First recorded in 1545–55; wool + gathering

Words Nearby woolgathering

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use woolgathering in a sentence

  • Amid that universal blaze and downright pour of stifling heat, his mind was gone woolgathering back into the old New Forest.

    Cradock Nowell, Vol. 3 (of 3) | Richard Doddridge Blackmore

British Dictionary definitions for woolgathering

woolgathering

/ (ˈwʊlˌɡæðərɪŋ) /


noun
  1. idle or absent-minded indulgence in fantasy; daydreaming

Derived forms of woolgathering

  • woolgatherer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012