Main Entry:

¹gath·er

Pronunciation:

\ˈga-thər also ˈge-\

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

gath·ered; gath·er·ing \ˈgath-riŋ, ˈga-thə-\

Etymology:

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

Date:

before 12th century

transitive verb1: 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 (as 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 verb1 a: to come together in a body b: to cluster around a focus of attraction2 a: to swell and fill with pus b: grow, increase <the gathering crisis>

— gath·er·er \-thər-ər\ noun

synonyms 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