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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.

"This court finds that you chose to victimize people that were peacefully gathering together," Salomone said.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

The major contemporary art gathering, dubbed “the Olympics of the art world,” is beset with drama and geopolitical froideur.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

“I enjoy gathering people and cooking for the band. I love sharing recipes with people.”

From Salon • May 7, 2026

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

He dug into the dirt again, pulling up another sapling, gathering another thread of magic.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

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.