collect
verb (used with object)
to gather together; assemble.
had collected
-
past perfectof collect.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor said they had collected evidence from 24 different Israeli military or intelligence figures who agreed to testify on camera in Tel Aviv as long as their identities were protected.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
The promise came after years of rejected proposals and litigation frustrated Lucas’ efforts to create a museum for the art he and his wife, Mellody Hobson, had collected.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
"When Sathvik showed me the measurements he and Manoj had collected, we realized that the unusual signals could provide an experimental connection to an idea we had predicted many years earlier," Meunier said.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
Mr Justice Hilliard was told the parents thought they had collected their son's ashes from Bush the following March, when he handed them a tiny blue coffin containing an envelope.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
They had collected a total of thirty-five hundred clinical samples.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
