gather

[ gath-er ]

verb (used with object)

1. to bring together into one group, collection, or place:

   to gather firewood; to gather the troops.

   Synonyms: hoard, garner, amass, accumulate

   Antonyms: disperse, separate

2. to bring together or assemble from various places, sources, or people; collect gradually:

   The college is gathering a faculty from all over the country.

   Synonyms: hoard, garner, amass, accumulate

3. to serve as a center of attention for; attract:

   A good football game always gathers a crowd.

4. to pick or harvest (any crop or natural yield) from its place of growth or formation:

   to gather fruit; to gather flowers.

   Synonyms: garner, glean, reap, crop, pluck

5. to pick up piece by piece:

   Gather your toys from the floor.

6. to pick or scoop up:

   She gathered the crying child in her arms.

7. to collect (as taxes, dues, money owed, etc.).
8. to accumulate; increase:

   The storm gathers force.

   The car gathered speed.

9. to take by selection from among other things; sort out; cull.
10. to assemble or collect (one's energies or oneself ) as for an effort (often followed by up ):

    He gathered up his strength for the hard job.

11. to learn or conclude from observation; infer; deduce:

    I gather that he is the real leader.

    Synonyms: understand, assume

12. to wrap or draw around or close:

    He gathered his scarf around his neck.

13. to contract (the brow) into wrinkles.
14. to draw (cloth) up on a thread in fine folds or puckers by means of even stitches.
15. Bookbinding. to assemble (the printed sections of a book) in proper sequence for binding.
16. Nautical. to gain (way) from a dead stop or extremely slow speed.
17. Metalworking. to increase the sectional area of (stock) by any of various operations.
18. Glassmaking. to accumulate or collect (molten glass) at the end of a tube for blowing, shaping, etc.

verb (used without object)

1. to come together around a central point; assemble:

   Let's gather round the fire and sing.

   Antonyms: disperse, separate

2. to collect or accumulate:

   Clouds were gathering in the northeast.

   Synonyms: accrete

3. to grow, as by accretion; increase.
4. to become contracted into wrinkles, folds, creases, etc., as the brow or as cloth.
5. to come to a head, as a sore in suppurating.

noun

1. a drawing together; contraction.
2. Often gathers. a fold or pucker, as in gathered cloth.
3. an act or instance of gathering.
4. an amount or number gathered, as during a harvest.
5. Glassmaking. a mass of molten glass attached to the end of a punty.

gather

/ ˈɡæðə /

verb

1. to assemble or cause to assemble
2. to collect or be collected gradually; muster
3. tr to learn from information given; conclude or assume
4. tr to pick or harvest (flowers, fruit, etc)
5. tr; foll by to or into to clasp or embrace

   the mother gathered the child into her arms

6. tr to bring close (to) or wrap (around)

   she gathered her shawl about her shoulders

7. to increase or cause to increase gradually, as in force, speed, intensity, etc
8. to contract (the brow) or (of the brow) to become contracted into wrinkles; knit
9. tr to assemble (sections of a book) in the correct sequence for binding
10. tr to collect by making a selection
11. tr to prepare or make ready

    to gather one's wits

12. to draw (material) into a series of small tucks or folds by passing a thread through it and then pulling it tight
13. intr (of a boil or other sore) to come to a head; form pus

noun

1. 1. the act of gathering
   2. the amount gathered
2. a small fold in material, as made by a tightly pulled stitch; tuck
3. printing an informal name for section

Derived Forms

• ˈgatherer, noun
• ˈgatherable, adjective

Other Words From

• gath·er·a·ble adjective
• gath·er·er noun
• pre·gath·er verb (used without object)
• re·gath·er verb
• un·gath·ered adjective
• well-gath·ered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of gather¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English gaderen, Old English gaderian, derivative of geador “together,” akin to gæd “fellowship”; together, good

Word History and Origins

Origin of gather¹

Old English gadrian; related to Old Frisian gaderia, Middle Low German gaderen

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. be gathered to one's fathers, to die.

More idioms and phrases containing gather

see rolling stone gathers no moss .

Synonym Study

Gather, assemble, collect, muster, marshal imply bringing or drawing together. Gather expresses the general idea usually with no implication of arrangement: to gather seashells. Assemble is used of objects or facts brought together preparatory to arranging them: to assemble data for a report. Collect implies purposeful accumulation to form an ordered whole: to collect evidence. Muster, primarily a military term, suggests thoroughness in the process of collection: to muster all one's resources. Marshal, another term primarily military, suggests rigorously ordered, purposeful arrangement: to marshal facts for effective presentation.

Example Sentences

The ground in November is not as cold as it would be in midwinter so some of the snow hitting the roads will probably melt, though larger accumulations could gather on colder grassy surfaces.

From BBC

“He definitely doesn’t have as much curly hair as the Filipino one,” she joked while trying to gather her thoughts.

From Los Angeles Times

NCA branch operations manager Paul Jones, said: “It is clear from the evidence we were able to gather over the course of our investigation that Pistiwan Jameel was a prolific UK-based broker for people smuggling gangs in France.”

From BBC

In October, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, Trump’s pick for US ambassador to the UN, accused China of “blatant and malicious election interference” amid reports that China-backed hackers attempted to gather information from the former president’s phones.

From BBC

“We ask the public to respect the presumption of innocence and to refrain from speculation as we work to gather all relevant facts.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• assemble
• choose
• cluster
• collect
• congregate
• convene
• converge
• crowd
• draw
• flock
• huddle
• meet
• pick
• round up
• show up