collate

verb

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col·late | \ kə-ˈlāt

, kä-, kō-; ˈkä-ˌlāt, ˈkō- \

collated; collating

Definition of collate

transitive verb

1a : to compare critically

b : to collect, compare carefully in order to verify, and often to integrate or arrange in order collated the data for publication

2a : to assemble in proper order especially : to assemble in order for binding collate printed sheets

b : to verify the order of (printed sheets)

3 [Latin collatus, past participle] : to institute (a cleric) to a benefice

Other Words from collate Choose the Right Synonym What does it mean to collate in a printing or copying context? Example Sentences Learn More about collate

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Choose the Right Synonym for collate

compare, contrast, collate mean to set side by side in order to show differences and likenesses. compare implies an aim of showing relative values or excellences by bringing out characteristic qualities whether similar or divergent. compared the convention facilities of the two cities contrast implies an emphasis on differences. contrasted the computerized system with the old filing cards collate implies minute and critical inspection in order to note points of agreement or divergence. data from districts around the country will be collated

What does it mean to collate in a printing or copying context?

In terms of printing or copying, collating refers to putting printed sheets or photocopies in proper order, especially for binding. When you're printing or photocopying something and you're only printing or making one copy, you don't need to address the idea of collation at all. But if you're printing or making multiple copies of multi-page documents, you might want the printer or photocopier to collate the pages.

If you select the "collate" option, the documents that emerge all nicely printed or copied will have their pages in order already; you'll have a stack of documents all ready to go. If you choose not to collate the documents, you'll have a stack with all the first pages together, all the second pages together, all the third pages together, etc., and you'll have to assemble each document by hand. Collating, then, can save a lot of time.

Examples of collate in a Sentence

The invisible part of the work of such a writer is collating and organizing all the research material, which is a slow, painstaking task that many writers skip or abbreviate. — Nicholas LeMann, New Republic, 2 Sept. 2002 Rare-book dealers use the word "collating" to mean going through a book page by page when it arrives to make certain that it is complete … — Calvin Trillin, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 1989 "Certainly," Kidson said. " … we need to have him on our side and cooperating every step of the road after we've collated all the information." — Evelyn Anthony, The Defector, (1981) 1982 And here have I, as before observed, carefully collected, collated and arranged them … — Washington Irving, A History of New York, 1809 They are still collating the data. The photocopier will collate the pages of the report.

Recent Examples on the Web Jani, who handles sales and marketing at the startup Acciojob, collated data on the portfolio companies of five big VC firms—Sequoia Capital, Nexus Venture Partners, Blume Ventures, Accel, and Kalaari Capital. — Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz India, "Looking for funding in India? VCs have a soft spot for the male, IIT-ian entrepreneur," 6 Jan. 2020 The Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS), a group of 51 central banks and supervisors, collates guidelines for regulators and disseminates scenarios to help analyse potential losses to the financial system. — The Economist, "Carbon capture Central bankers debate tackling climate change," 12 Dec. 2019 The Airpocalypse report, released in January this year by the environmental activist group, collated data on PM 10 in cities in 2017. — Gurvinder Singh, Quartz India, "The coal mining region in India where the ground beneath shakes and belches fire," 4 Oct. 2019 Since 2015, for instance, a network that collates local- and central- government information has been used to blacklist millions of people to prevent them from booking flights and high-speed train trips. — Washington Post, "How China Is Planning to Rank 1.3 Billion People," 4 June 2019 Nationwide, the percentage of criminal trials that resulted in community sentences reached around 35% five years ago, according to data collated by Yang Xue of Nanjing Normal University. — The Economist, "Justice in China is notoriously harsh, but reforms are afoot," 31 Oct. 2019 The company collated this data and created a model of the network, looking at how to manage and optimize the network more efficiently. — Nell Lewis, CNN, "How data is taming South Africa's infamous taxibuses," 31 Oct. 2019 The singer wrote these segues to serve as narrative guides for the listener and to collate the album’s disparate genres. — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, "The Genre-Defying Singer Inspired by Japanese Funk," 20 Oct. 2019 There’s not enough hours in the day and no one can collate all that. — Eric Branch, SFChronicle.com, "49ers’ Kyle Shanahan flexes his playbook: Here’s how," 20 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'collate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

18 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Collate.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collate. Accessed 20 January 2020.

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More Definitions for collate

collate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of collate

: to gather together information from different sources in order to study it carefully

: to arrange (sheets of paper) in the correct order

See the full definition for collate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

collate

verb

col·late | \ kə-ˈlāt, kä-, kō-; ˈkä-ˌlāt, ˈkō-

collated; collating

Legal Definition of collate

transitive verb

in the civil law of Louisiana : to return to an estate for equal division children or grandchildren, coming to the succession of their fathers, mothers or other ascendants, must collate what they have received — Louisiana Civil Code

intransitive verb

in the civil law of Louisiana : to return property or legacies to an estate for division shall then be obliged to collate up to the sum necessary — Louisiana Civil Code

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