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

A machine can collect, compare and collate tremendous amounts of information, but it can’t do the thing that matters most of all—decide what has genuine value for human lives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

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

Rhian Bowen Davies, the Welsh government's former national adviser for violence against women, said there should be a "requirement on universities to regularly, consistently collate data".

From BBC ● Mar. 7, 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 account collates and tweets out data from a number of agencies that track natural disasters - often releasing information faster than even they do.

From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2024

There were around 1,800 reports on Downdetector, which collates status reports from a number of sources.

From Reuters ● Mar. 2, 2023

To determine which ones are the most popular, The San Francisco Chronicle sifted through data from AllTrails.com, which collates user-generated ratings and reviews of hiking routes.

From New York Times ● Dec. 14, 2022

After it has been sawed, or scratched, the book goes to a girl who collates it—that is, examines it thoroughly, signature by signature, and makes sure that everything is in its right place.

From The Building of a Book A Series of Practical Articles Written by Experts in the Various Departments of Book Making and Distributing by Frederick H. Hitchcock

Analysts expected an underlying profit around $12.66 billion, according to a consensus estimate collated by Visible Alpha.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Underlying earnings rose 43% from a year earlier to $6.85 billion, topping the $6.61 billion consensus estimate collated by Visible Alpha.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

The number of deaths is likely to increase once all the data and reports from all European countries have been collated.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

This was borne out by citizens' demonstrations after Bengaluru metro hiked fares last year and ridership dropped some 13% after the hike, as per data collated by Greenpeace.

From BBC ● Apr. 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

Skillfully collating the accounts of Auden’s intimates, he offers details about the poet’s sexuality, psyche, cratering appearance and deteriorating habits that are painful to contemplate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 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

And she said a team of officers were collating and evaluating 20 years of evidence.

From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2024

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

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker