Definition of collate
collated
;collating
transitive verb
1a : to compare criticallyb : to collect, compare carefully in order to verify, and often to integrate or arrange in order collated the data for publication
2 [Latin collatus, past participle] : to institute (a cleric) to a benefice
3a : to verify the order of (printed sheets)b : to assemble in proper order; especially : to assemble in order for binding collate printed sheets
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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
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The data is then collated into an annual report and published at irregular intervals.
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The information gets collated, so the Institute has a base of science.
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Before this, branches submitted their preferred candidates to provincial structures that collated them and released the results.
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Airbnb, the accommodation service where people can list their homes and hotels for holiday rentals, has collated its data to find out where the most solo bookings are taking place at the moment.
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Then, the authors collated this tree-ring data with the past 50 years of observational measurements for the region.
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So every gibe is registered, the average speed collated and the flight time and the positioning of the boats measured.
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Kay Fowler, who also was at the Smithsonian, recovered Powell’s manuscripts from 1867-1880 at the ethnology bureau, and the two then collated, annotated and published them in 1971.
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Smaller producers typically sell green beans to middlemen who collate larger amounts of beans and sell them to centralized curing facilities or directly to the curing facilities themselves.
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
Synonym Discussion of collate
Other Literature Terms
COLLATE Defined for English Language Learners
collate
playDefinition of collate for English Language Learners
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: to gather together information from different sources in order to study it carefully
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: to arrange (sheets of paper) in the correct order
Law Dictionary
collate
playLegal Definition of collate
collated
collating
transitive verb
: 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
Origin and Etymology of collate
back-formation from collation, from Latin collatio (bonorum) bringing together (of property) for distribution to heirs
Learn More about collate
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See words that rhyme with collate Spanish Central: Translation of collate Nglish: Translation of collate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of collate for Arabic speakers
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