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Synonyms

gathering

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

noun

  1. an assembly or meeting.

    Synonyms:
    assemblage

  2. an assemblage of people; group or crowd.

    Synonyms:
    throng, company, concourse, congregation

  3. a collection, assemblage, or compilation of anything.

  4. the act of a person or thing that gathers.

  5. something that is gathered together.

  6. a gather or a series of gathers in cloth.

  7. an inflamed and suppurating swelling.

    Synonyms:
    carbuncle, abscess, boil

  8. (in a flue, duct, or the like) a tapered section forming a transition between two sections, one of which has a greater area than the other.

  9. Bookbinding. a section in a book, usually a sheet cut into several leaves.

gathering British  
/ ˈɡæðərɪŋ /

noun

  1. a group of people, things, etc, that are gathered together; assembly

  2. sewing a gather or series of gathers in material

    1. the formation of pus in a boil

    2. the pus so formed

  4. printing an informal name for section

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of gathering

First recorded before 900; Middle English gaderinge, Old English gaderunge; equivalent to gather + -ing 1

Vocabulary lists containing gathering

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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.

“The home has since nurtured three generations of artists, remaining a beloved gathering spot for Greenwich Village’s most celebrated creative minds,” the listing adds.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

Swalwell’s campaign had been gathering momentum over the last month.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

WASHINGTON—At a recent gathering of tech executives and lawmakers, David Sacks pitched artificial intelligence as a driving force of the U.S. economy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Lawyers say they have been gathering evidence of issues at some hotels in the country.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Once a year, Washington also issued each enslaved worker a new blanket that often had to serve double duty for farm chores—like gathering wood or vegetables—as well as keeping warm.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

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.