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collection plate

American  

noun

  • collection plates
    plural
  1. plate.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of collection plate

First recorded in 1875–80

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.

See Examples For:

With a fee that she purloins from a church collection plate, she implores him for help and he agrees, as he learns more about this young girl’s challenging childhood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025

Social pressure is always at work when the workplace passes around the proverbial collection plate, but you can either abstain silently or explain that you can’t afford any additional expenses right now.

From New York Times ● May 14, 2023

Down the hall, 56-year-old Janine Cox gets an occasional bag of chips from the vending machine and scrimps to add to the collection plate at church.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2023

After all, they help fill the collection plate and the tithing box.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 25, 2022

Of course, you can say the same thing without using any possessives: After waiting an hour in court, Butch was given two years of probation for stealing fifty dollars in change from the collection plate.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

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