collate

American  

[kuh-leyt, koh-, ko-, koh-leyt, kol-eyt] / kəˈleɪt, koʊ-, kɒ-, ˈkoʊ leɪt, ˈkɒl eɪt /

verb (used with object)

collates, present (3rd person singular) collated, past participle, past collating present participle

1. to gather or arrange in their proper sequence (the pages of a report, the sheets of a book, the pages of several sets of copies, etc.).

2. Bookbinding. to verify the arrangement of (the gathered sheets of a book), usually by inspecting the signature at the foot of the first page of each sheet or the mark printed on the back of each sheet or on the spine of each signature.

3. to compare (texts, statements, etc.) in order to note points of agreement or disagreement.

4. Bibliography. to verify the number and order of the sheets of (a volume) as a means of determining its completeness.

5. Computers. to merge (sequenced data from two or more data sets or files) to produce a new sequenced data set or file.

6. Ecclesiastical. to present by collation, as to a benefice.

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collate British  

/ kɒˈleɪt, kə- /

verb

1. to examine and compare (texts, statements, etc) in order to note points of agreement and disagreement

2. (in library work) to check the number and order of (the pages of a book)

3. bookbinding

   1. to check the sequence of (the sections of a book) after gathering

   2. a nontechnical word for gather

4. (often foll by to) Christianity to appoint (an incumbent) to a benefice

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• collator
  noun
• collatable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• collating
  present
• collated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• collate
  simple
• collates
  simple
• have collated
  perfect
• has collated
  perfect
• am collating
  progressive
• are collating
  progressive
• is collating
  progressive
• have been collating
  perfect progressive
• has been collating
  perfect progressive

Past

• collated
  simple
• had collated
  perfect
• was collating
  progressive
• were collating
  progressive
• had been collating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will collate
  simple
• will have collated
  perfect
• will be collating
  progressive
• will have been collating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of collate

First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin collātus “borne together,” past participle of conferre “to bear together,” from con- con- + ferre “to bear, bring, carry”; for the suppletive element -lātus, earlier tlātus (unrecorded), see also thole ², tolerate

Explanation

Although the verb collate specifically means to put pages in a correct order, the word can be used more generally to mean to put anything into the proper sequence. Collating can mean the mindless job of putting papers in order before stapling them, or it can mean the high-brow analytical job of critically comparing multiple texts. Both usually involve paper, only the latter involves higher-order thinking. "The genealogists collated data from several sources, which made them realize, based on the dates, that Henry the VIII could not have been on the family tree."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

collate collates collated collating

But if AI can collate and analyze data to capture individual preferences at scale we may no longer need the assumption of the rational actor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

The Saudi authorities, I am told, are currently working flat out to collate everything they have on the Magdeburg market suspect, Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, and to share it with Germany's ongoing investigation "in every way possible".

From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2024

On that day, I followed Nikki’s careful instructions to type and collate the lines of poetry I’d scrawled in composition books and notepads for years and leave the rest to her.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2024

But as she concluded, the platforms do engage in editorial functions when they curate and collate content.

From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2023

Their personal papers were even harder to collate.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

The complex, diverse ecosystem created by European reef-building oysters has collapsed, according to the recent assessment we submitted to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which collates the statuses of ecosystems and species.

From Salon ● Jan. 6, 2025

The other pieces of paper include notes and thoughts, which Servais collects and collates over the offseason.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2024

A new Public Health Scotland report collates 40 studies to examine the policy's effect on health, business and public attitudes.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2023

The company collates the data into a web-based dashboard or sends the data back to the customer’s own systems through an application.

From New York Times ● Nov. 23, 2022

In the sketch of his life prefixed to his works, Niebuhr collates the friendships he himself mentions, with his fellow-poet Paulus Silentiarius, with Theodorus the decemvir, and Macedonius the ex-consul.

From Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 1 by Runkle, Lucia Isabella Gilbert

A half dozen recent polls collated by USA Today as the country approaches the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence showed a majority believed the country's best years were behind it.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

Quiz collated by Rosemary McCabe and the Special Projects team.

From BBC ● May 7, 2026

A company can publish big year-on-year profit gains but see its stock decline because the bottom line didn’t meet a consensus forecast figure collated from a dozen or so investment banks.

From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026

Underlying earnings totaled $10.87 billion, down just 0.9% year over year but below a consensus estimate of roughly $11.03 billion collated by Visible Alpha.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026

De Vries also pored through Darwin's books, and he latched onto the theory of pangenesis—the idea that “particles of information” from the body were somehow collected and collated in sperm and eggs.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

The BLS spends the days before a release collating the data and assembling the public report.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026

The BEA collects little data firsthand, instead collating and publishing numbers gathered by other agencies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026

“My mother included us in everything that she did, and I mean everything. I remember as a child collating pages for her second book. It was wonderful.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2025

They items were to be gathered at a secret location for photographing and collating before being passed on, the authority said.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2025

Harker has gone back, and is again collating his material.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker