collection

noun col·lec·tion \ kə-ˈlek-shən \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

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

Senators grilled him about privacy in the wake of pro-Trump data mining firm Cambridge Analytica’s collection of Facebook data on millions of Americans without their knowledge.

— Time, "During Facebook's Senate Hearing, Reddit Reveals It Banned Almost 1,000 Russian Trolls," 11 Apr. 2018
Proceeds from this new fundraiser, offered at $3.50, will be used to purchase items for the library's DVD and Blu-Ray collection.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Windsor Locks Edition," 10 Apr. 2018
Strong limits on data collection Europe, by contrast, generally prohibits collecting and using personal data.

— florian schaub, Scientific American, "Fragmented U.S. Privacy Rules Leave Large Data Loopholes for Facebook and Others," 10 Apr. 2018
Van Haaften, who was the founding curator of the New York Public Library’s photography collection, wrestles Abbott’s big life onto the page.

— dwight garner, New York Times, "‘Berenice Abbott’ Captures a Large and Star-Studded Life," 9 Apr. 2018
Simpson personally styled them in her spring 2018 apparel, accessories, Jessica Simpson Girls and The Warm Up collections.

— colleen kratofil, PEOPLE.com, "Jessica Simpson Hosted a Fashion Show for Army Wives and Daughters — and the Photos Are Adorable," 9 Apr. 2018
Also, Maybelline's FIT Me collection really offers a wide range of shades from pale to deep -- in both the matte and poreless and dewy options.

— marissa desantis, Teen Vogue, "The Best Foundation Tips for a Flawless Application," 9 Apr. 2018
The majority of collection points within city limits saw an inch-and-a-half to two inches, while up to seven inches of rain but virtually no snow fell in the mountains.

— benjy egel, sacbee, "More rain anticipated this week with warm, dry bookends | The Sacramento Bee," 9 Apr. 2018
But sales tax collections have been pretty stagnant in recent years.

— bob warren, NOLA.com, "Slidell's $62.6 million budget -- 6 things to know," 9 Apr. 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