gather

1 of 2

verb

gath·​er ˈga-t͟hər How to pronounce gather (audio)
 also  ˈge-
gathered; gathering ˈga-t͟hə-riŋ How to pronounce gather (audio)
ˈgat͟h-

transitive verb

1
: to bring together : collect
tried to gather a crowd
gathered firewood
2
a
: pick, harvest
gather flowers
b
: to pick up or amass as if by harvesting
gathering ideas for the project
c
: to scoop up or take up from a resting place
gathered the child up in his arms
3
: to serve as an attraction for : accumulate
books gathering dust
4
: to effect the collection of
gather contributions
5
a
: to summon up
gathered his courage
b
: to gain by gradual increase
gather speed
c
: to prepare (oneself) by mustering strength
d
: to gain or regain control of
gathered his wits
6
: to reach a conclusion often intuitively from hints or through inferences
I gather that you want to leave
7
a
: to pull (fabric) along a line of stitching so as to draw into puckers
b
: to draw about or close to something
gathering her cloak about her
c
: to bring together the parts of
gathered her hair into a ponytail
d
: to assemble (the signatures of a book) in sequence for binding
e
: to haul in
the sailors gathered the sails

intransitive verb

1
a
: to come together in a body
b
: to cluster around a focus of attraction
2
a
: to swell and fill with pus
b
: grow, increase
the gathering crisis
gatherer
ˈga-t͟hər-ər How to pronounce gather (audio)
 also  ˈge-
noun

gather

2 of 2

noun

1
: something brought together: such as
a
: a puckering in cloth made by gathering (see gather entry 1 sense 7a)
b
: a mass of molten glass collected for use in glassblowing
2
: an act or instance of bringing together
Choose the Right Synonym for gather

gather, collect, assemble, congregate mean to come or bring together into a group, mass, or unit.

gather is the most general term for bringing or coming together from a spread-out or scattered state.

a crowd quickly gathered

collect often implies careful selection or orderly arrangement.

collected books on gardening

assemble implies an ordered union or organization of persons or things often for a definite purpose.

experts assembled for a conference

congregate implies a spontaneous flocking together into a crowd or huddle.

congregating under a shelter

synonyms see in addition infer

Examples of gather in a Sentence

Verb Give me just a minute to gather my things and then we can leave. The coach gathered her players together. She gathered her hair into a ponytail. The child was gathering flowers to give to his mother. The police are continuing to gather evidence relating to the crime. Volunteers have been gathering contributions for the new library. A crowd began to gather on the sidewalk. The players gathered together to hear the coach's game plan. The bicyclists gathered speed as they went downhill.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The first half of the novel consists of a bunch of men gathering in houses and pubs, and discussing whether or not to invest in a fraud. Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 On Sunday, Hollywood's biggest stars gathered together to celebrate the year's achievement in film at the 2024 Oscars. Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 Held as typical at the West Hollywood Park, stars and industry insiders gathered first for cocktails, either in the bar area which would later become a dance floor, lit with miniature disco balls, or in an indoor-outdoor lounge station, where a Don Julio bar sat in the center of the room. David Graver, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024 Last month, Hardy was one of two dozen Black chefs who gathered for the Black Excellence Culinary Symphony 2024 at Table No. 2 in Greektown, a charitable event supporting young culinarians. Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 10 Mar. 2024 On Sunday, the biggest names in film gathered for the 96th Academy Awards, marking the official end to awards season. Jodi Guglielmi, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2024 Three hours earlier, demonstrators began gathering by the hundreds at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Ivar Avenue, about a mile east of the theater on Hollywood Boulevard. Ashley Ahn, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024 The film, set in the secretive Vatican meeting of Catholic cardinals who gather in Rome to pick a new pope, will be released in theaters in New York City and Los Angeles on Nov. 1, 2024, before going wider a week later on Nov. 8. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 Incredibly disparate celebrities—from Monica Lewinsky to Gwyneth Paltrow—gather in the same space. Blanca De Almandoz, Glamour, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
As a stellium of planets gathers in your fouth house of home and lineage this month, the desire to know your past intensifies, and the dynamics between your family members or housemates becomes extra charged. Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Jan. 2024 See All of Kate Middleton's Holiday Looks Through the Years Each year at Christmas, the British royal family gathers at Sandringham. Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 25 Dec. 2023 Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty Images Each Sunday morning, the congregation of the International Deliverance Praying Ministry gathers in front of their church, ready to be let in. Joel Khalili, WIRED, 30 Oct. 2023 When a city-wide power outage hits and the rest of the gang gathers at Monica’s apartment, Chandler is superbly on his own, trapped in an ATM vestibule with Jill Goodacre, who at the time was a high-profile Victoria’s Secret model. Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2023 The relationship between addiction and systemic problems such as poverty and violence, Chapman said, is on display outside his office daily, where people without housing gather and then disperse as police arrive, in a grim ritual. Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, 16 Oct. 2023 The hall stills with the music, and an air of wonderment gathers. Nathan Heller, Vogue, 29 Aug. 2023 Just days before the conference gathers in the Vols home state, the NCAA dropped a slew of punishments on the football program for violations during Jeremy Pruitt’s tenure as head coach. Matt Cohen | McOhen@al.com, al, 16 July 2023 Keep in mind that a liner that is too long can be a safety concern if the extra fabric gathers on the floor of the shower stall or bath. Alice Knisley Matthias, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gather.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English gaderen, from Old English gaderian; akin to Middle High German gadern to unite — more at good

Noun

derivative of gather entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gather was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near gather

Cite this Entry

“Gather.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gather. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gather

1 of 2 verb
gath·​er ˈgat͟h-ər How to pronounce gather (audio)
 also  ˈget͟h-
gathered; gathering ˈgat͟h-(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce gather (audio)
1
: to bring together : collect
2
3
: to gain by gradual increase
gather speed
4
: to prepare (as oneself) by calling on strength
gather courage to dive
5
: to draw about or close to something
6
: to pull (cloth) along a line of stitching so as to draw into puckers
7
8
: to come together in a body or around a center of attraction
a crowd gathered round
9
: increase entry 1, grow
a storm gathered outside
gatherer noun

gather

2 of 2 noun
: the result of gathering cloth : pucker

Medical Definition

gather

intransitive verb
gathered; gathering -(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce gather (audio)
: to swell and fill with pus
the boil is gathering

More from Merriam-Webster on gather

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