collection

noun

col·​lec·​tion kə-ˈlek-shən 

1

: the act or process of collecting

the collection of data

the collection of taxes

2

a

: something collected

especially : an accumulation of objects gathered for study, comparison, or exhibition or as a hobby

a collection of poems

a collection of photographs

a baseball card collection

b

: group, aggregate

a collection of symptoms, such as fatigue, headaches, and joint pain

c

: a set of apparel designed for sale usually in a particular season

the designer's spring collection of dresses

Synonyms of collection

• library
• assemblage
• assortment
• repertoire

Examples of collection in a Sentence

a system of tax collection

The technology makes data collection easier.

There will be a trash collection this week.

The museum's collection is one of the best in the country.

We took up a collection for the school renovations.

Ten percent of the collection goes to the city's shelters for homeless people.

Recent Examples on the Web

The landmark exhibition features paintings from the Barnes’ collection and museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art’s The Sleeping Gypsy (1897), one of the most famous paintings in art history and a crown jewel of MoMA’s collection rarely loaned. —Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026

The event at the end of January will feature 400 luminaries, about double the amount from the year before, and will include stories shared by residents, a moment of silence for the hurting community, and collection for donations. —Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026

Her debut poetry collection, Women’s Prose, was short-listed for the Andrei Bely Prize in 2016, and her debut novel, Wound, won the NOS Prize in 2021. —Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026

Going all the way back to his days working in the college ranks at Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Virginia State and Norfolk State to his seven seasons in the NFL, Parker has a deep collection of notes and recollection from what has worked for him in the past and what hasn’t. —Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English colleccioun, collection, borrowed from Anglo-French collection, borrowed from Latin collēctiōn-, collēctiō "bringing together, accumulation," from colleg-, variant stem of colligere "to gather together, assemble, accumulate, pull (oneself) together" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at collect entry 2

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing collection

• sub-collection

Rhymes for collection

• abjection
• advection
• affection
• bijection
• bisection
• complexion
• confection
• connection
• connexion
• convection
• correction
• defection

Kids Definition

collection

noun

col·​lec·​tion kə-ˈlek-shən 

1

: the act or process of collecting

2

a

: something collected

especially : an accumulation of objects gathered for study, comparison, or exhibition or as a hobby

b

: set entry 2 sense 7

3

: a gathering of money

take up a collection