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

• 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

Many high earners unknowingly turn their retirement into a cluttered collection of accounts with no clear plan. —Larry Light, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025

Though the book was met with abysmal reviews, it was included in a larger collection of Bowles’s work that received critical acclaim in her lifetime, and in recent years has become an object of fervid admiration. —Nicole Flattery, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025

The Skims founder stunned as the cover star of the October 2025 issue wearing a white gold necklace, earrings and bracelet each part of the Pluie de Cartier collection and totaling 707 diamonds with more than 44 carats, according to Vogue. —Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025

Related Articles The Josef & Anni Albers Foundation served as a key collaborator for Loewe’s fall 2025 ready-to-wear collection, which debuted in an exhibition piece during Paris Fashion Week in March. —Julia Teti, Footwear News, 19 Sep. 2025

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