collection

noun col·lec·tion \ kə-ˈlek-shən \

|Updated on: 16 Aug 2018

Examples: collection in a Sentence

Definition of collection

1 : the act or process of collecting

the collection of data

the collection of taxes

2 a : something collected; especially : an accumulation of objects gathered for study, comparison, or exhibition or as a hobby

a collection of poems

a collection of photographs

a baseball card collection

b : group, aggregate

a collection of symptoms, such as fatigue, headaches, and joint pain

c : a set of apparel designed for sale usually in a particular season

the designer's spring collection of dresses

See collection defined for English-language learners

See collection defined for kids

Examples of collection in a Sentence

a system of tax collection
The technology makes data collection easier.
There will be a trash collection this week.
The museum's collection is one of the best in the country.
We took up a collection for the school renovations.
Ten percent of the collection goes to the city's shelters for homeless people.

Recent Examples of collection from the Web

According to a press release, the new collection has a Color Icon Lip Gloss for each sign — nine of which are vegan.

— jodie layne, Teen Vogue, "Wet n Wild Is Launching a Zodiac Themed Makeup Collection," 13 July 2018
The collection can be purchased online and at Opening Ceremony stores in New York and Los Angeles.

— aubri juhasz, The Cut, "Burberry’s Latest Collab Is Full of Cool Kids in Rainbow Check," 13 July 2018
Once upon a time, before the skyscrapers and stock market, Hong Kong was just a collection of fishing villages and salt pans.

— casey quackenbush / hong kong, Time, "'We're Not Educated.' The Untold Story of Lung King Heen, the World's First Michelin Three-Star Chinese Restaurant," 12 July 2018
Microbiomes are the collection of all genetic material in a particular environment, all the microbes—the bacteria, fungi, viruses and more—that inhabit that ecosystem.

— helen bynum, WSJ, "‘Microbia’ Review: The Many Tiny Worlds Among Us," 12 July 2018
The first gallery is a shimmering collection of Canaletto’s views of the lagoon and the city.

— cate mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, "MFA’s ‘Casanova’ a voluptuous look at a notorious voluptuary," 6 July 2018
Laura herself is a collection of overly schematic quirks.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "'Boundaries' reduces Farmiga to Plummer's helper.," 4 July 2018
Shows to see: Also on long-term view until next year is a collection of works by Laurie Anderson.

— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "New England museums to visit this summer and fall," 4 July 2018
Some may argue that these lesser nations have their chance to qualify just the same as everyone else, and that the World Cup should simply be a collection of the best against the best in a battle for world domination.

— SI.com, "Increasing the Amount of Teams at the World Cup Is a Great Idea, Even if the Quality Will Diminish," 2 July 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of collection

see ²collect

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

collection Synonyms

Synonyms

array, assemblage, band, bank, batch, battery, block, bunch, clot, clump, cluster, clutch, constellation, group, grouping, huddle, knot, lot, muster, package, parcel, passel, set, suite;

Near Antonyms

entity, item, single, unit;

agglomeration, assortment, hodgepodge, jumble, miscellany, mixture, odds and ends, sundries, variety;

cycle, run, series, suit;

Phrases

the whole kit and caboodle;

COLLECTION Defined for English Language Learners

collection

noun

Definition of collection for English Language Learners

: the act or process of getting things from different places and bringing them together
: a group of interesting or beautiful objects brought together in order to show or study them or as a hobby
: a request for money in order to help people or to pay for something important; also : the money collected in this way