gather

American  

[gath-er] / ˈgæð ər /

verb (used with object)

• gathers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• gathered,
  past participle,  past
• gathering
  present participle

1. to bring together into one group, collection, or place.

   to gather firewood; to gather the troops.

   Synonyms:

   hoard, garner, amass, accumulate

   Antonyms:

   disperse, separate

2. to bring together or assemble from various places, sources, or people; collect gradually.

   The college is gathering a faculty from all over the country.

   Synonyms:

   hoard, garner, amass, accumulate

3. to serve as a center of attention for; attract.

   A good football game always gathers a crowd.

4. to pick or harvest (any crop or natural yield) from its place of growth or formation.

   to gather fruit; to gather flowers.

   Synonyms:

   garner, glean, reap, crop, pluck

5. to pick up piece by piece.

   Gather your toys from the floor.

6. to pick or scoop up.

   She gathered the crying child in her arms.

7. to collect (as taxes, dues, money owed, etc.).

8. to accumulate; increase.

   The storm gathers force.

   The car gathered speed.

9. to take by selection from among other things; sort out; cull.

10. to assemble or collect (one's energies or oneself ) as for an effort (often followed byup ).

    He gathered up his strength for the hard job.

11. to learn or conclude from observation; infer; deduce.

    I gather that he is the real leader.

    Synonyms:

    understand, assume

12. to wrap or draw around or close.

    He gathered his scarf around his neck.

13. to contract (the brow) into wrinkles.

14. to draw (cloth) up on a thread in fine folds or puckers by means of even stitches.

15. Bookbinding. to assemble (the printed sections of a book) in proper sequence for binding.

16. Nautical. to gain (way) from a dead stop or extremely slow speed.

17. Metalworking. to increase the sectional area of (stock) by any of various operations.

18. Glassmaking. to accumulate or collect (molten glass) at the end of a tube for blowing, shaping, etc.

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verb (used without object)

• gathers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• gathered,
  past participle,  past
• gathering
  present participle

1. to come together around a central point; assemble.

   Let's gather round the fire and sing.

   Antonyms:

   disperse, separate

2. to collect or accumulate.

   Clouds were gathering in the northeast.

   Synonyms:

   accrete

3. to grow, as by accretion; increase.

4. to become contracted into wrinkles, folds, creases, etc., as the brow or as cloth.

5. to come to a head, as a sore in suppurating.

noun

1. a drawing together; contraction.

2. Often gathers. a fold or pucker, as in gathered cloth.

3. an act or instance of gathering.

4. an amount or number gathered, as during a harvest.

5. Glassmaking. a mass of molten glass attached to the end of a punty.

idioms

1. be gathered to one's fathers, to die.

gather British  

/ ˈɡæðə /

verb

1. to assemble or cause to assemble

2. to collect or be collected gradually; muster

3. (tr) to learn from information given; conclude or assume

4. (tr) to pick or harvest (flowers, fruit, etc)

5. (tr; foll by to or into) to clasp or embrace

   the mother gathered the child into her arms

6. (tr) to bring close (to) or wrap (around)

   she gathered her shawl about her shoulders

7. to increase or cause to increase gradually, as in force, speed, intensity, etc

8. to contract (the brow) or (of the brow) to become contracted into wrinkles; knit

9. (tr) to assemble (sections of a book) in the correct sequence for binding

10. (tr) to collect by making a selection

11. (tr) to prepare or make ready

    to gather one's wits

12. to draw (material) into a series of small tucks or folds by passing a thread through it and then pulling it tight

13. (intr) (of a boil or other sore) to come to a head; form pus

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noun

1. 1. the act of gathering

   2. the amount gathered

2. a small fold in material, as made by a tightly pulled stitch; tuck

3. printing an informal name for section

gather More Idioms  

1. see rolling stone gathers no moss.

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Synonym Usage

Gather, assemble, collect, muster, marshal imply bringing or drawing together. Gather expresses the general idea usually with no implication of arrangement: to gather seashells. Assemble is used of objects or facts brought together preparatory to arranging them: to assemble data for a report. Collect implies purposeful accumulation to form an ordered whole: to collect evidence. Muster, primarily a military term, suggests thoroughness in the process of collection: to muster all one's resources. Marshal, another term primarily military, suggests rigorously ordered, purposeful arrangement: to marshal facts for effective presentation.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gatherer
  noun
• regather
  verb
• pregather
  verb (used without object)
• gatherable
  adjective
• ungathered
  adjective
• well-gathered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• gathering
  present
• gathered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• gather
  simple
• gathers
  simple
• have gathered
  perfect
• has gathered
  perfect
• am gathering
  progressive
• are gathering
  progressive
• is gathering
  progressive
• have been gathering
  perfect progressive
• has been gathering
  perfect progressive

Past

• gathered
  simple
• had gathered
  perfect
• was gathering
  progressive
• were gathering
  progressive
• had been gathering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will gather
  simple
• will have gathered
  perfect
• will be gathering
  progressive
• will have been gathering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of gather

First recorded before 900; Middle English gaderen, Old English gaderian, derivative of geador “together,” akin to gæd “fellowship”; cf. together, good

Explanation

Gather is a verb with many related meanings, most involving drawing together or assembling something. You may gather your socks into the laundry bag, or you may gather your thoughts by making a list. Gather often is used to describe bringing people together for some purpose, like the students who gather in the hallway awaiting an announcement. Gather can also refer to an increase or gain, like when you gather speed and go faster on your bike. Gather can describe coming to a conclusion or an understanding. After listening to your brother's comments and watching him pack up his video games, you may gather that he isn't going to be around for dinner.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gather gathers gathered gathering

Beyond its striking photographs, Sentinel-3C has already begun demonstrating its ability to gather precise scientific measurements.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

Care teams gather quietly outside rooms before difficult conversations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Delegates from around the globe will gather in the Turkish resort town of Antalya next month for the annual COP gathering.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

As she watched her family gather, the musician flashed back to her first wedding, almost a decade earlier.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

I feel everyone’s eyes on me as I bend down to gather them up, and as I trail along behind Dr.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

As El Nino gathers strength, global average sea surface temperatures hit a record 21.05C for September, topping the previous high of 20.92C for the same month in 2023, according to Copernicus.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

They found that the same molecular machinery also gathers at the exact location where a dying cell comes into contact with the tissue.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 5, 2026

In a kind of treasure hunt, Crouch gathers all the acorns on private lands.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Dew gathers on their skin and is channelled towards their mouths through microscopic grooves, while their tongues can also collect fog water condensed on plants, sand and rocks.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

“I can’t wait to help you spend that five hundred bucks,” Arwin says, and we laugh as everyone gathers around the table to fill up their plates.

From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio

Protesters have also gathered in New York, Boston and other US cities to show support for the accuser, while social media users have shared the hashtag #IAmJaneDoe on TikTok, X and Instagram.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

A speech at the Pnyx, where Athenians once gathered for popular assemblies that birthed democracy, provided a perfect opportunity to link America First to ancient Greek statecraft.

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2026

The “public” would mean ordinary people like colonial patrons of taverns who gathered round to read the proposed Constitution in newspapers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Fire Department and police vehicles gathered at a site on a sidewalk, and a street was blocked off by yellow police tape.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

Like waifs clustered around a blazing fire, we gathered about it, holding out our hearts to its warmth and light.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

The researchers collected anonymous survey responses from approximately 400 college students, gathering information about their diets, sleep patterns, exercise habits, and other lifestyle factors.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

More than 65,000 immigrants were detained nationwide as of July, according to TRAC, a data gathering and research organization.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

On Sunday, there were no signs of any major gathering of protesters around the Jantar Mantar site despite calls from the CJP to march there.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

Police say they have denied permission for the gathering and all roads leading to Jantar Mantar, the main protest venue, have been closed with huge metal barricades.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

I kept following him through his quest, gathering resources and killing random creatures that attacked us.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Related Words

• assemble
• choose
• cluster
• collect
• congregate
• convene
• converge
• crowd
• draw
• flock
• huddle
• meet
• pick
• round up
• show up