collector

noun

col·​lec·​tor kə-ˈlek-tər 

: one that collects: such as

a

: an official who collects funds or moneys

b

: a person who makes a collection

stamp collector

c

: an object or device that collects

the statuette was a dust collector

d

: solar collector

collectorship

kə-ˈlek-tər-ˌship 

noun

Examples of collector in a Sentence

He is an avid stamp collector.

The painting was purchased by a private collector.

The trash collectors came early today.

Recent Examples on the Web

Before-and-after photos first shared on social media by Marilyn Monroe historian and collector Scott Fortner showed that the dress had signs of damage, including missing crystals and several small rips along the zipper seam. —Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025

Amber Gyselinck-Snyder, a trinket collector and trinket club operator, opened Lapis Lily Market in October through the city's St'Artup 317, a program that helps young businesses get off the ground with subsidized rent and vacant storefronts in visible locations in the city. —Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 4 Nov. 2025

County Clerk Rachelle Evans rejected the petition after determining some of the signature collectors weren't Arkansas residents. —Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2025

On one of those excursions Gaia met Andrew Fattorini, a wine collector based in Verona, Italy. —Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 2 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English collectour, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin collēctōr-, collēctor, from colleg-, variant stem of colligere "to gather together, assemble, accumulate" + -tōr-, -tor, agent suffix — more at collect entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing collector

• collector's item
• solar collector

Rhymes for collector

• bisector
• connector
• corrector
• defector
• deflector
• detector
• director
• dissector
• effector
• ejector
• elector
• erector

Kids Definition

collector

noun

col·​lec·​tor kə-ˈlek-tər 

1

: a person whose job is to collect money due

tax collector

bill collector

2

: one that makes a collection

stamp collector

3

: an object or device that collects

the ornament was just a dust collector