GATHER Synonyms: 194 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'gather' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of gather are assemble , collect , and congregate . While all these words 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

Q: Where would 'assemble' be a reasonable alternative to 'gather'?

Although the words assemble and gather have much in common, assemble implies an ordered union or organization of persons or things often for a definite purpose. // experts assembled for a conference

Q: When is 'collect' a more appropriate choice than 'gather'?

The words collect and gather can be used in similar contexts, but collect often implies careful selection or orderly arrangement. // collected books on gardening

Q: When could 'congregate' be used to replace 'gather'?

In some situations, the words congregate and gather are roughly equivalent. However, congregate implies a spontaneous flocking together into a crowd or huddle. // congregating under a shelter

gather

verb

ˈga-t͟hər

Definition of gather

as in to collect

to bring together in one body or place he gathered the leftovers from the table and gave them to the dog let's gather the students and have them line up on the playground before going in from recess

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to harvest

to catch or collect (a crop or natural resource) for human use late summer is when we gather the tomatoes and begin canning them for the winter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to converge

to come together into one body or place a crowd gathered around the street musician ask the faculty to gather in the lounge for the meeting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to derive

to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information I gather that, since you are back so early, she didn't want to see you?

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to accumulate

to gradually form into a layer, pile, or mass the newspapers that had been allowed to gather on the front doorstep told thieves that the family was away on vacation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to gain

to gradually increase in the movement gathered force as election day neared

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to summon

to call into being through the use of one's inner resources or powers gathered the strength to finish the marathon

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb gather differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of gather are assemble, collect, and congregate. While all these words 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

Where would assemble be a reasonable alternative to gather?

Although the words assemble and gather have much in common, assemble implies an ordered union or organization of persons or things often for a definite purpose.

experts assembled for a conference

When is collect a more appropriate choice than gather?

The words collect and gather can be used in similar contexts, but collect often implies careful selection or orderly arrangement.

collected books on gardening

When could congregate be used to replace gather?

In some situations, the words congregate and gather are roughly equivalent. However, congregate implies a spontaneous flocking together into a crowd or huddle.

congregating under a shelter

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of gather The Agriculture Department process requires residents to recognize a potential pesticide exposure, know how to report it and gather enough information for regulators to act. — Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026 On Sunday, hundreds of people gathered at a volleyball court in Rocky Ripple, a town northwest of Indianapolis, with shovels and sandbags to help reinforce the town's levee, according to NPR Member Station WFYI. — Chandelis Duster, NPR, 16 Aug. 2026 The Skims pair was a flat with ventilation holes, while Chloé took transparent TPU up a curved kitten heel with a peep toe and gathered knot. — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 16 Aug. 2026 About 100 people were gathered near Ooh La La Lounge and Bar when the shots rang out, according to News 12 Brooklyn. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gather

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gather

Verb

Gauld subbed into the match in the 58th minute before collecting his first assist in his fourth appearance of the season.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
The Dream had a chance to win when Reese collected an offensive rebound with the score tied in the final seconds of regulation.

— Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of collect

Verb

But the delicious focal point will be a potluck-style neighborhood mango cookoff on the J Street Stage, featuring mangoes harvested from the backyards of 12 area neighborhoods.

— Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2026
The case was brought by Strawberry Growers for Fair Trade, a coalition of Florida strawberry producers, whose berries are typically harvested during the winter months.

— Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of harvest

Verb

These institutions serve as the settings where laboratory science, clinical training, and patient care all converge.

— Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026
Second, the threats that gave rise to the alliances have not faded but intensified and converged, as allied perceptions of China and Russia align as never before.

— Kurt M. Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of converge

Verb

To help in her grieving process from her father’s death, Watts and McCollough took bufo, an intense, ego-death psychedelic derived from the venom of the Sonoran Desert toad.

— Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
Modern organisms use metabolic energy (for example, via burning a candy bar’s sugary calories) to make the molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a universal energy store in the biosphere that is derived from phosphates.

— Philip Ball, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of derive

Verb

Pozen leans on the step-up in basis at death, which wipes out the capital gains accumulated during an owner's lifetime, and his column is careful to say this applies to money held outside retirement accounts.

— Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
According to Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, that trio has accumulated more than half of Houston’s offensive WAR.

— Chandler Rome, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of accumulate

Verb

If reusable rockets mature into an operational capability and are paired with the ability to manufacture satellites at scale, China could gain a greater ability to expand or replenish its orbital infrastructure during a crisis.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026
The workplace emergency savings accounts that have gained traction are separate from 401(k)s and other retirement savings plans, Copeland said.

— Lorie Konish, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of gain

Verb

But on Wednesday, Chris Bonelli, Waymo’s product communications manager, summoned one of the all-electric, custom robotaxis to the flowering neighborhood park not far from Cherry Creek to demonstrate the technology to the press.

— Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2026
In Ohio, Haitians are being summoned to Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices and fitted with electronic ankle monitors.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of summon

Verb

The Progress Center assembles the workhorse vehicle for Russia, the Soyuz-2 vehicle, as well as the newer Soyuz-5 rocket.

— Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026
Instead of assembling every major component at a construction site, Apollo plans to manufacture key systems in factories.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of assemble

Browse Nearby Words

gateways

gather

gathered

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Gather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gather. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of gather

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on gather

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

prowess

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes