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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.

He joked that they would "have a bigger party this time" before insisting the previous gathering had no influence on his performance against Ukraine's Usyk.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

It was the daily gathering at the Michigan factory where Ford tests manufacturing processes for new vehicles before they move to mass assembly.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

CHI Health Center, the meeting’s venue, wasn’t as full as it was at last year’s gathering.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

The Yerevan gathering is the first of its kind in the Caucasus and comes as Armenia fosters closer ties with Europe while seeking to cautiously loosen itself from Russia's grasp.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

An American embassy official brought the envelope to a diplomatic gathering, the kind of party Penkovsky usually attended.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

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.