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Synonyms

gatherer

American  
[gath-er-er] / ˈgæð ər ər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that collects, brings together, or accumulates.

    The artist acts as both gatherer and creator, collecting vintage artifacts and orchestrating them into open-ended narratives.

    The data gatherers are to inquire about product safety, potential drug interactions, cost, and efficacy.

  2. a person who comes together with others.

    In Black churches throughout the South, gatherers celebrated “Watch Night” on December 31, 1862, counting down to the moment when the Emancipation Proclamation would take effect.


Etymology

Origin of gatherer

gather ( def. ) + -er 1 ( def. )

Explanation

A gatherer is someone who collects or forages things. In the late fall, squirrels become gatherers, grabbing all the acorns they can find and saving them for winter snacks. Anyone who gathers, assembles, or collects things can be described as a gatherer. Some gatherers (like squirrels) accumulate food that they find here and there. Early humans were hunter-gatherers, meaning that acquired food both by hunting animals and by foraging for roots, mushrooms, berries, and other nutritious plants.

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Vocabulary lists containing gatherer

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.

In Indonesia, the growing exploitation of nickel to meet surging demand for electric vehicle batteries is endangering the nomadic hunter gatherer people of the Hongana Manyawa community, the report said.

From Barron's • Oct. 27, 2025

That sort of growth helped transform Blackstone from depending on striking deals for the majority of its fees to becoming an asset gatherer that can charge management fees on funds it oversees.

From New York Times • Jul. 20, 2023

How might groups living in Neolithic settlements like Jericho or Çatalhöyük have thought of hunter- gatherer communities living around them?

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

Many states have added their own regulations to the process, such as California allowing people to ask if a signature gatherer is paid.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2023

A gatherer took my penny and I shuffled on, jostled from this side and that, until I bumped up against an unmoving mass of spectators.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood

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