collate

play

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

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

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

The BMW, in touch with the cloud, which collated information from other vehicles, advised them that there was black ice ahead on the road—

— david denby, The New Yorker, "Borne Aloft by a Dream of the Smart Home", 26 Jan. 2017
While much of the U.K.’s work to craft sanctions relies on collating public information and arguments, Britain and France can also draw on intelligence information to help define sanctions targets.

— laurence norman, WSJ, "Brexit Likely to Alter EU’s Sanctions Policy", 6 Oct. 2016
Gómez’s study is the first thorough survey of violence in the mammal world, collating data on more than a thousand species.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "Humans: Unusually Murderous Mammals, Typically Murderous Primates", 28 Sep. 2016
The unit was created in 2000 to lend support from the executive branch to prosecutors leading the inquiry, for instance by collating evidence from government agencies.

— jonathan gilbert, New York Times, "Puzzling Death of a Prosecutor Grips Argentina JAN. 19, 2015", 31 Jan. 2016
All of this information would be collated with results from dozens of other subjects and combed for insights into the neurology of compassion in older people; those results, in turn, will add a tile to the wisdom mosaic.

— jonathan rauch, The Atlantic, "The Real Roots of Midlife Crisis", 17 Nov. 2014
Maybe a page from another speech accidentally got collated into this one.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "Mitt at the NAACP: Half-Truths and a Strange Courting", 11 July 2012
Collated by the editors of Ben is Dead, Retro Hell features the walking-through-the-park-reminiscing of a Salvation Army’s worth of hipsters (several of whom contribute to this site).

— the sucksters, WIRED, "The Way We Weren’t", 9 Dec. 1997

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!

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

play

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

play

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

Legal 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

in the civil law of Louisiana

shall then be obliged to collate up to the sum necessary — Louisiana Civil Code