garner
verb (used with object)
to gather or deposit in or as if in a granary or other storage place.
garner
1 American
[gahr-ner]
/ ˈgɑr nər /
verb (used with object)
-
garners,
present (3rd person singular)
-
garnered,
past participle, past
-
garnering
present participle
-
to gather or deposit in or as if in a granary or other storage place.
-
to get; acquire; earn.
He gradually garnered a national reputation as a financial expert.
-
to gather or collect.
noun
-
a granary or grain bin.
-
a store or supply of anything.
Garner
2
American
[gahr-ner]
/ ˈgɑr nər /
noun
garner
1
British
/ ˈɡɑːnə /
verb
noun
-
an archaic word for granary
-
archaic a place for storage or safekeeping
Garner
2
British
/ ˈɡɑːnə /
noun
-
Erroll. 1921–77, US jazz pianist and composer, noted for the jazz standard 'Misty' (1954)
-
Helen. born 1942. Australian novelist and journalist. Her books include the novels Monkey Grip (1977), The Idea of Perfection (2002), The Children's Bach (1984), and The Spare Room (2008), and the nonfiction The First Stone (1995)
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
garnersimple
-
garnerssimple
-
have garneredperfect
-
has garneredperfect
-
am garneringprogressive
-
are garneringprogressive
-
is garneringprogressive
-
have been garneringperfect progressive
-
has been garneringperfect progressive
Past
-
garneredsimple
-
had garneredperfect
-
was garneringprogressive
-
were garneringprogressive
-
had been garneringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of garner
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English garner, gerner, from Old French gernier, grenier, from Latin grānārium granary; see -er 2
Explanation
To garner means to gather or earn. If you want to run for office without belonging to a political party, you must garner enough signatures — usually a few thousand — to get onto the ballot. The word garner comes from the Latin granarium which means "store-house," usually for grain. The current use of the word carries with it the sense of something being stored up. It’s not only that you can gather enough yes-votes to overcome the opposition, there is the sense that all the things you have garnered have some weight of their own. In its other use, garner means “earn” or "merit." Think of movie stars garnering Oscar nominations for their excellent work.
Vocabulary lists containing garner
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme
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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:
Brittany Bowen, a finfluencer who offers money advice in get ready with me videos, said she knows she has to show off her lifestyle in order to garner interest from viewers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The first is the Under-20 Women’s World Cup, a tournament that wouldn’t normally garner much attention.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Of course, Sturgeon would be well aware of the headlines such comments would generate, and some have suggested she's simply attempting to garner more publicity.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Los Angeles’ water system experiences leaks daily, which rarely garner much attention, but several more significant breaks in the last decade have renewed concerns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
“I appreciate your concern, but this is just a piece of the story, not even the worst piece, and I am not telling it to garner sympathy.”
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Garner raises them primarily for meat and fiber, which is woven into all manner of snuggly garments — cardigans, parkas, scarves and more.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
Unlike cows, Garner said, yaks have not had all their wildness bred out of them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
Midfielder James Garner, 25, is also set to miss the start of the new season after the England international had groin surgery last month.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
There’s an additional slathering of irony in Garner, the woman behind “Alias” superspy Sydney Bristow, playing the happy homemaker.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
Mr. Garner always talked about how much he hated Manhattan, but Danny buzzed with excitement.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
The stock garners frequent mentions on r/WallStreetBets and attracts nearly 9,000 weekly visitors to its own Subreddit r/POETTechnologiesInc.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 22, 2026
If spot prices shoot higher, that can more than make up for the slimmer profit that the company garners from its long-term contracts, which it offers at a low cost.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
YouTube garners 13% of video streaming, as measured by viewing hours.
From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026
The seventh sign, aptly ruling the house of intimate relationships and partnerships of all kinds, garners a multifaceted reputation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2024
In school, I’m one of six Black kids in a specialized music program; I have hair my classmates don’t understand and a complexion that garners assumptions.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
In the AI era, this strategy has garnered criticism from investors who believe Apple is falling behind when it comes to things like the infrastructure build-out and platform innovation.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
He himself is out on probation for a harassment charge he garnered last year in a Steak ’n Shake, a business he is now permanently banned from entering.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
Rabiu Kwankwaso, who garnered about six percent last time, has teamed up with Obi to run as his vice president.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Four years later, Perot garnered a respectable 8.4%, and his Reform Party lasted until 2000, when Donald Trump made a brief attempt at a run under its banner.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
I didn’t know why it suddenly didn’t matter what I looked like, why my appearance garnered no reactions.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
He was the top vote-getter in the June 2 primary, garnering 46.1% of the vote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Read an explainer of the year’s most bizarre rom-com: One Night Only, the buzzy new movie starring Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner, is garnering plenty of chatter—and raising plenty of questions.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
The poll found Talarico garnering 43% of independents to Paxton’s 23%; 29% remain undecided.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
Mr. Trump chose the respected Jay Clayton as his official pick, garnering widespread plaudits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
In 1924, when William cracked an “unbreakable” Navy code machine, he was accused of garnering inside information from Elizebeth.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
