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Synonyms

gathering

American  
[gath-er-ing] / ˈgæð ər ɪŋ /

noun

  1. an assembly or meeting.

    Synonyms:
    assemblage

  2. an assemblage of people; group or crowd.

    Synonyms:
    throng, company, concourse, congregation

  3. a collection, assemblage, or compilation of anything.

  4. the act of a person or thing that gathers.

  5. something that is gathered together.

  6. a gather or a series of gathers in cloth.

  7. an inflamed and suppurating swelling.

    Synonyms:
    carbuncle, abscess, boil

  8. (in a flue, duct, or the like) a tapered section forming a transition between two sections, one of which has a greater area than the other.

  9. Bookbinding. a section in a book, usually a sheet cut into several leaves.

gathering British  
/ ˈɡæðərɪŋ /

noun

  1. a group of people, things, etc, that are gathered together; assembly

  2. sewing a gather or series of gathers in material

    1. the formation of pus in a boil

    2. the pus so formed

  4. printing an informal name for section

"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

Etymology

Origin of gathering

First recorded before 900; Middle English gaderinge, Old English gaderunge; equivalent to gather + -ing 1

Vocabulary lists containing gathering

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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.

Other topics mentioned included Vance’s fandom of Magic: The Gathering, his opinions on cargo shorts, his “dad icks,” his preferred memes, and his “secret to keeping his marriage solid.”

From Slate • Dec. 18, 2025

Then I showed it at the Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, which is a car show that happens every August during Monterey Car Week in California.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 16, 2025

But Hasbro is less reliant on toys than Mattel, due to its Magic: The Gathering card game and offshoots.

From Barron's • Oct. 26, 2025

Gathering with friends and family, or a group of strangers, to regularly enjoy a certain show together doesn’t just lift the spirit, it makes the show more than just something to watch.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2025

On the steps of the Gathering Hall, the two guards moved a little closer to the mayor.

From "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau

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.