congregate

American  

[kong-gri-geyt, kong-gri-git, -geyt] / ˈkɒŋ grɪˌgeɪt, ˈkɒŋ grɪ gɪt, -ˌgeɪt /

verb (used without object)

congregated, congregating

1. to come together; assemble, especially in large numbers.

   People waiting for rooms congregated in the hotel lobby.

   Synonyms:

   cluster, throng, collect, gather

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verb (used with object)

congregated, congregating

1. to bring together in a crowd, body, or mass; assemble; collect.

adjective

1. congregated; assembled.

2. formed by collecting; collective.

congregate British  

verb

1. to collect together in a body or crowd; assemble

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adjective

1. collected together; assembled

2. relating to collecting; collective

Other Word Forms

• congregative adjective
• congregativeness noun
• congregator noun
• decongregate verb
• noncongregative adjective
• uncongregated adjective
• uncongregative adjective

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.

Example Sentences

"The real experience comes when we can influence a community to congregate in a strange, dark space," Spielberg said.

From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026

Brown’s installation, “Fountain: Sources of Light,” invites guests to congregate.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

Discord has soared in popularity in recent years, mainly as a place for online gamers, some of whom stream their gaming activities on other platforms like Twitch, to congregate, often anonymously.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

Folks congregate in a barber shop called The Frill Is Gone.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

On the other days when there’s no market, people just congregate in the main square for one thing and another: hairdos, shoe repair, or just gossiping in the shade.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

• bunch up
• converge
• flock
• gather
• swarm
• throng