congregate
Americanverb (used without object)
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congregates,
present (3rd person singular)
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congregated,
past participle, past
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congregating
present participle
verb (used with object)
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congregates,
present (3rd person singular)
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congregated,
past participle, past
-
congregating
present participle
adjective
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congregated; assembled.
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formed by collecting; collective.
verb
adjective
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collected together; assembled
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relating to collecting; collective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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congregativenessnoun
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congregatornoun
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decongregateverb
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congregativeadjective
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noncongregativeadjective
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uncongregatedadjective
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uncongregativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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congregatesimple
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congregatessimple
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have congregatedperfect
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has congregatedperfect
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am congregatingprogressive
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are congregatingprogressive
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is congregatingprogressive
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have been congregatingperfect progressive
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has been congregatingperfect progressive
Past
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congregatedsimple
-
had congregatedperfect
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was congregatingprogressive
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were congregatingprogressive
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had been congregatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of congregate
1350–1400; Middle English (adj.) < Latin congregātus (past participle of congregāre to flock together), equivalent to con- con- + greg- (stem of grex ) flock + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
Congregate is a verb that means to come together, to assemble, or to gather. At school dances, you may congregate with your friends, because you get nervous in front of kids you don't know very well. Congregate comes from Latin root words com, meaning "together" and gregare, meaning "to gather in a flock." Congregation, or a gathering or assembly, comes from the same roots, as does gregarious, an adjective describing someone who likes to gather with others to socialize. If you remember the key word is flock — what ministers often call their congregations — you should have no trouble remembering congregate means to flock together.
Vocabulary lists containing congregate
Power Prefix: con-
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The Old Man and the Sea
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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.
See Examples For:
If you don’t offer food to wild birds, they will be less likely to congregate in your backyard or garden.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
Crawlspace LA, which closed in February, similarly started as a space for dancers to congregate and experiment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Feathers float over lawns and white goo covers areas where the birds congregate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Each competing country has a dedicated coffee house in the city for fans to congregate at.
From Barron's ● May 12, 2026
I was vaguely aware of a mechanical voice instructing people to congregate in yellow zones.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Instead, this 21st Century fanbase congregates more politely on TikTok, Instagram and X, where the hashtag that brings fans, Liam memes, and Bonehead jokes together, is #oasistwt.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2024
The winter meetings have traditionally been where the MLB universe congregates for business.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2022
In many parts of the deepest ocean, life congregates around seeps—vents in the sea floor where gasses leak out from Earth’s innards and fuel microbial growth, attracting communities of deep-sea invertebrates.
From Science Magazine ● Feb. 8, 2022
The Tijaniyya group congregates on Fridays in a brownstone in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
From New York Times ● Sep. 23, 2016
The day's last flock of gray birds congregates above the seedheads of spent wildflowers and launches across the yellow green into a slate-blue sky.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
They slept between tables and chairs, where others congregated to watch news about the earthquake or wait in line for a warm meal.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
On a sunny weekend in early May, hundreds congregated at Raw Farm for its annual Camping With the Cows event.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
A bar was set up in the back for spectators to grab drinks—performers congregated there after their sets to chat with bookers and agents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
But, it was her parents Bernie and Noel's home where the family usually congregated and where she would regularly see brothers Niall, Declan and Brendan.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026
Behind her in the kitchen, the day’s large female contingent had congregated, laughing and whispering.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
So to discourage them from congregating, simply provide less food.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
The day-long convention was over a month in the making, and it was difficult to get day laborers comfortable with congregating in person, Alvarado said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
AIS data showed the "vast majority" of vessels congregating in the East China Sea appeared to be from the eastern province of Zhejiang, where several maritime militia ports are located, said Poling.
From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026
“There are so many people walking their kids to maybe 15 different schools. And then they’re all congregating at Ralph’s afterwards. Schools start at 8, and it opens at 8.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025
“You may leave us,” said the Hamadryad to the Brown Bear who, after bowing humbly, ran off with his cap in his hand to where all the other animals were congregating round Mary Poppins.
From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers
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.
