collate

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

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

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

And in 2006 the young company blindsided its users with the launch of News Feed, which collated and presented in one place information that people had previously had to search for piecemeal.

— zeynep tufekci, WIRED, "Why Zuckerberg’s 15-Year Apology Tour Hasn’t Fixed Facebook," 6 Apr. 2018
By December, Trone had spent more than $1.6 million on the race and still had around $787,000 in the bank, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which collates campaign finance records.

— paul schwartzman, Washington Post, "N.Y. senator endorses state delegate in race to succeed Delaney in Maryland," 28 Mar. 2018
To help educators set budget priorities, multimillion-dollar data processing programs designed by JPL and the rocket manufacturer Aerojet General Corporation collated children's academic records, IQ scores, and attendance.

— mara hvistendahl, Science | AAAS, "A revered rocket scientist set in motion China’s mass surveillance of its citizens," 14 Mar. 2018
Despite various projects to mandate environmental disclosures and to try to collate that data into useful metrics, those metrics are still hard to come by.

— adam rogers, WIRED, "Apparently We Can Let the Stock Market Fight Climate Change," 8 Mar. 2018
Since debuting in 1998, Rotten Tomatoes, which collates and gauges critical and popular reaction to movies, has been a leading source of collective opinion.

— CBS News, "This week on "Sunday Morning" (March 4)," 1 Mar. 2018
Drones can collate the data to sniff out variances across a 1,000-acre farm, Armstrong said.

— john tuohy, Indianapolis Star, "Can new Internet of Things lab in Fishers improve the world?," 12 Jan. 2018
Within those rulings, manager Herberger was instructed to collate a world-beating XI with a ratio of 6:5, meaning five Ostmarks were to stand shoulder to shoulder with six Altreichs.

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 18 Weeks to Go - Nazi Germany & the Reichssportführer's Propaganda Failure," 15 Feb. 2018
Final box-office tallies are still being collated and will be released by UNIC later in the year.

— scott roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, "Cinema Admissions Rise in Europe in 2017 Amid Record Results in Russia, U.K.," 14 Feb. 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

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