congregate
Americanverb (used without object)
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congregates,
present (3rd person singular)
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congregated,
past participle, past
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congregating
present participle
verb (used with object)
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congregates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
congregated,
past participle, past
-
congregating
present participle
adjective
-
congregated; assembled.
-
formed by collecting; collective.
verb
adjective
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collected together; assembled
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relating to collecting; collective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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congregativenessnoun
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congregatornoun
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decongregateverb
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congregativeadjective
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noncongregativeadjective
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uncongregatedadjective
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uncongregativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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congregatesimple
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congregatessimple
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have congregatedperfect
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has congregatedperfect
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am congregatingprogressive
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are congregatingprogressive
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is congregatingprogressive
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have been congregatingperfect progressive
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has been congregatingperfect progressive
Past
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congregatedsimple
-
had congregatedperfect
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was congregatingprogressive
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were congregatingprogressive
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had been congregatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of congregate
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
Explanation
Congregate is a verb that means to come together, to assemble, or to gather. At school dances, you may congregate with your friends, because you get nervous in front of kids you don't know very well. Congregate comes from Latin root words com, meaning "together" and gregare, meaning "to gather in a flock." Congregation, or a gathering or assembly, comes from the same roots, as does gregarious, an adjective describing someone who likes to gather with others to socialize. If you remember the key word is flock — what ministers often call their congregations — you should have no trouble remembering congregate means to flock together.
Vocabulary lists containing congregate
Power Prefix: con-
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Esperanza Rising
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The Old Man and the Sea
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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:
"They know where the species congregate and where the nursery grounds are."
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
By 2021, they reached South Tufa, where tourists congregate to gaze at the rock formations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Feathers float over lawns and white goo covers areas where the birds congregate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Each competing country has a dedicated coffee house in the city for fans to congregate at.
From Barron's ● May 12, 2026
There is an area there where the newly arriving displaced people stay, and where people congregate to try and find each other.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
Teams that sign free agents or make blockbuster trades during the few days everyone of importance in the MLB universe congregates under one luxury hotel roof get out-sized applause for their moves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2024
Instead, this 21st Century fanbase congregates more politely on TikTok, Instagram and X, where the hashtag that brings fans, Liam memes, and Bonehead jokes together, is #oasistwt.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2024
In many parts of the deepest ocean, life congregates around seeps—vents in the sea floor where gasses leak out from Earth’s innards and fuel microbial growth, attracting communities of deep-sea invertebrates.
From Science Magazine ● Feb. 8, 2022
The event has always prided itself on being the one night a year that the entire theater community congregates and celebrates, with a big party following the awards.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 6, 2015
The day's last flock of gray birds congregates above the seedheads of spent wildflowers and launches across the yellow green into a slate-blue sky.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
They slept between tables and chairs, where others congregated to watch news about the earthquake or wait in line for a warm meal.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
On a sunny weekend in early May, hundreds congregated at Raw Farm for its annual Camping With the Cows event.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
A bar was set up in the back for spectators to grab drinks—performers congregated there after their sets to chat with bookers and agents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
Demonstrators congregated in front of the federal building, many of them chanting, “The people united will never be defeated.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 24, 2026
Primarily men, they lay walrus-like on towels or boisterously congregated in the striped Strandkorbe, the little beach huts.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
The day-long convention was over a month in the making, and it was difficult to get day laborers comfortable with congregating in person, Alvarado said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
AIS data showed the "vast majority" of vessels congregating in the East China Sea appeared to be from the eastern province of Zhejiang, where several maritime militia ports are located, said Poling.
From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026
“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.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025
Later, Mr Sarkar’s father, who had locked in the family, saw a small crowd congregating outside their iron gate.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2024
That butchery business was long ago; surely by now the sharks would be out of the habit of congregating here.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
