collection

American  

[kuh-lek-shuhn] / kəˈlɛk ʃən /

noun

1. the act of collecting.

2. something that is collected; a group of objects or an amount of material accumulated in one location, especially for some purpose or as a result of some process: a collection of unclaimed hats in the checkroom;

   a stamp collection;

   a collection of unclaimed hats in the checkroom;

   a collection of books on Churchill.

   Synonyms:

   store, hoard, pile, heap, mass, aggregation, accumulation

3. the works of art constituting the holdings of an art museum.

   a history of the museum and of the collection.

4. the gathered or exhibited works of a single painter, sculptor, etc..

   an excellent Picasso collection.

5. collections, the various holdings of an art museum organized by category, as painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, or film.

   the director of the collections.

6. the clothes or other items produced by a designer, especially for a seasonal line.

   the spring collection.

7. a sum of money collected, especially for charity or church use.

   Synonyms:

   alms, contribution(s)

8. Manège. act of bringing or coming into a collected attitude.

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collection British  

/ kəˈlɛkʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of collecting

2. a number of things collected or assembled together

3. a selection of clothes, esp as presented by a particular designer for a specified season

4. something gathered into a mass or pile; accumulation

   a collection of rubbish

5. a sum of money collected or solicited, as in church

6. removal, esp regular removal of letters from a postbox

7. (often plural) (at Oxford University) a college examination or an oral report by a tutor

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Other Word Forms

• collectional
  adjective
• noncollection
  noun
• precollection
  noun
• subcollection
  noun

Etymology

Origin of collection

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English colleccioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin collēctiōn-, stem of collēctiō “a gathering together,” from collēct(us) “gathered together” (past participle of colligere; see collect ¹) + -iō -ion

Explanation

A collection is a group of things, often a group created by someone. For example, many kids have a collection of comic books. Notice the word collect in collection. If you like to collect — that is, gather — things, chances are you might have a collection of some sort. Some common types of collections are of books, stamps, and dolls. You can also refer to a museum's "collection of art." While you might call a group of people a gathering, you would call a group of rare coins a collection.

Example Sentences

After a celebrated career, she returns with a collection of 13 short stories that explore mortality, thorny relationships and intellectual curiosity — hallmarks of her writing.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

A federal appeals court temporarily stayed a trade court decision, allowing the collection of 10% import tariffs to continue.

From Barron's • May 12, 2026

Although the fossils do not preserve enough detail to identify exact species, the researchers found preserved cells, divisions within cell walls, and traces of organic matter across multiple collection sites.

From Science Daily • May 12, 2026

His eBay collection had included a selection of signed baseball cards, including one of President Trump being sworn into office in 2016, and a pair of Cohen’s socks.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

“You seriously mean to tell me,” said Boaz slowly, “that you’ve been sitting on an extensive collection of rare and lost films and haven’t told anyone?”

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Related Words

• assemblage
• assortment
• compilation
• lot
• number
• selection
• set
• store