collate

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

|Updated on: 2 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: collate in a Sentence

Editor's Note: What does it mean to collate in a printing or copying context?

Definition of collate

collated; collating

transitive verb

1 a : 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

2 a : to assemble in proper order; especially : to assemble in order for binding

collate printed sheets

b : to verify the order of (printed sheets)

[Latin collatus, past participle]

: to institute (a cleric) to a benefice

—

collator

play \kə-ˈlā-tər, kä-, kō-; ˈkä-ˌlā-, ˈkō-\ noun

See collate defined for English-language learners

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 of collate from the Web

Together with other opposition parties, CHP had dispatched tens of thousands of monitors to voting stations across Turkey, and developed special cellphone apps to collate results independently from the election board.

— david gauthier-villars, WSJ, "After Victory, Erdogan Promises to Strengthen Turkey," 25 June 2018
The European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction, an agency of the European Union, collates the data collected at those facilities.

— justin chen, BostonGlobe.com, "Below the street, robots turn sewers into sensors," 1 July 2018
The European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction, an agency of the European Union, collates the data collected at those facilities and prepares a report for the public.

— justin chen, STAT, "Scientists can track the spread of opioids in sewers. But do cities want to know what lies below?," 26 June 2018
This comparison was based on records filed with Finra, posted to the BrokerCheck website that the Journal collated and includes more than 1.2 million brokers currently and previously registered with Finra as of June.

— WSJ, "How the Journal Did the Math," 24 June 2018
This collection of chants is collated into a cacophony of noise and support for your nation, and the one with the most participants in each clash wins.

— SI.com, "'Hyundai Cheering Stadium' Competition Launched for Fans to Compete Against Rivals During World Cup," 12 June 2018
In two independent centers in Ankara, the opposition will collate the results on their own servers, with a manual backup system in case of electricity or internet failures.

— New York Times, "Turkish Opposition Hopes 4 Parties Are Mightier Than 1 Against Erdogan," 9 June 2018
During President Barack Obama's tenure, about 90% of the employees at the NSC were career professionals on rotation, collating advice for the President from their different agencies and experts for one or two years before returning.

— evan perez, CNN, "Bolton era begins with exits and anxiety at National Security Council," 16 Apr. 2018
Related: Marathon to buy San Antonio's Andeavor for $23.3 billion The U.S. supplied 86 percent of the 864,000 barrels a day of fuels Mexico sources from abroad in March, according to vessel-tracking and shipping data collated by Bloomberg.

— laura blewitt, San Antonio Express-News, "Marathon merger looks like a pincer attack on Mexico fuel market," 30 Apr. 2018

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.

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.

Origin and Etymology of collate

back-formation from collation

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1612

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of 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

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody

COLLATE Defined for English Language Learners

collate

verb

Definition of collate for English Language Learners

: to gather together information from different sources in order to study it carefully
: to arrange (sheets of paper) in the correct order

Law Dictionary

collate

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

legal Definition of collate

collated; collating

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