congregate

[kong-gri-geyt, kong-gri-git, -geyt]

verb (used without object)

congregated, congregating 

1. to come together; assemble, especially in large numbers.

   People waiting for rooms congregated in the hotel lobby.

   Synonyms: cluster, throng, collect, gather

verb (used with object)

congregated, congregating 

1. to bring together in a crowd, body, or mass; assemble; collect.

adjective

1. congregated; assembled.

2. formed by collecting; collective.

congregate

verb

1. to collect together in a body or crowd; assemble

adjective

1. collected together; assembled

2. relating to collecting; collective

Other Word Forms

• congregative adjective
• congregativeness noun
• congregator noun
• decongregate verb
• noncongregative adjective
• uncongregated adjective
• uncongregative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of congregate¹

1350–1400; Middle English (adj.) < Latin congregātus (past participle of congregāre to flock together), equivalent to con- con- + greg- (stem of grex ) flock + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of congregate¹

C15: from Latin congregāre to collect into a flock, from grex flock

Example Sentences

Flies congregate by the bulbs, probably gossiping about the latest meal they had.

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Tourists tend to congregate in a tiny area of the old city.

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She explained that when people follow the public footpath they are now forced to congregate on one small patch of sand because there was "nowhere to go".

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“There are so many people walking their kids to maybe 15 different schools. And then they’re all congregating at Ralph’s afterwards. Schools start at 8, and it opens at 8.”

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By 2021, as they pushed west, they landed at South Tufa, where tourists congregate to gaze at the limestone columns.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bunch up www.thesaurus.com
• converge 
• flock 
• gather 
• swarm 
• throng