collecting

present participle of collect
1
as in containing
to gain emotional or mental control of applicants should collect their thoughts while waiting to be interviewed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
3
as in compiling
to bring together from several sources into a single volume or list collected the author's early short stories, which were originally published in several obscure sci-fi magazines

Synonyms & Similar Words

4
5

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of collecting The signs will rest in basements and on mantles for years, collecting dust. Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025 Figures such as Tutivillus, dedicated to catching and collecting the sins of holy men, appear from the very early days of Christianity. JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025 Thornton has outraised Cordoza, collecting more than $370,000 in donations compared to Cordoza’s roughly $220,000, according to campaign finance reports. Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025 And of course, there was French director Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez, which led all titles at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony with 13 nominations before collecting trophies for best song and supporting actress Zoe Saldaña. Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 31 Oct. 2025 Pennsylvania, for example, prevents landlords from collecting more than two months of rent after a tenant dies. Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025 To celebrate the launch of their first run of shows in 16 years in July, the group also issued a box set collecting all their studio albums. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 30 Oct. 2025 The farmer, his son and grandson were still collecting mink, with more than a dozen live traps deployed and checked routinely, Hobbs said. Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025 Law enforcement agencies—including local, state, and assisting federal partners—are actively investigating the motive behind the shooting and collecting evidence. Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collecting
Verb
  • Look 5 degrees to the lower left of the Pleiades to find the patch of sky containing Uranus.
    Anthony Wood, Space.com, 5 Nov. 2025
  • The recall was initiated because products containing wheat were incorrectly placed into packaging that doesn't list the presence of wheat, according to the FDA.
    Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The colder conditions will raise the potential for accumulating snow across parts of the Midwest and the Appalachians, including areas farther south and at lower elevations than usual, AccuWeather said.
    Doyle Rice, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Detroit could also see accumulating snowfall from Sunday morning into midday, possibly affecting busy urban and highway traffic routes.
    Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings.
    Gary Trust, Billboard, 3 Nov. 2025
  • The duo hope to use their data background to show global trends and narratives around rising anti-democratic sentiment by compiling and reporting on public data that often gets overlooked or underanalyzed.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Music reality series focused on assembling a group have been around for years.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Coaching the Crew The crew — including two backup crew members, NASA astronaut Andre Douglas and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jenni Gibbons — have been just as busy as the people assembling their spacecraft.
    Matt Alderton, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Beaver Moon takes its name from early Native American tribes as well as American colonists, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, when beavers begin sheltering in their lodges after gathering enough food to last the winter.
    Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Nov. 2025
  • But often these insightful gems are just left on our proverbial shelves gathering dust.
    Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Marco Beltrami is composing the score.
    Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Drilling in pursuit of natural gas and oil in Wyoming has shown that the sandstone rock composing the Lance Formation is very deep beneath the mummies, measuring more than 1,000 meters (over 3,200 feet).
    Paul C. Sereno, The Conversation, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Meanwhile, Ladd was amassing dozens of television credits, appearing on such series as The Detectives, Naked City, 77 Sunset Strip, Perry Mason, Hazel, The Fugitive, Ironside and Then Came Bronson.
    Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Arizona State rushed for 290 yards Saturday, with backup quarterback Jeff Sims amassing a staggering 228.
    Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Chris’s boycott of the Olympics coverage is just one of many problems the UBN CEO has converging on one another at the moment.
    Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The corrective phase has taken the shape of a triangle pattern, with converging highs and lows on the chart.
    Katie Stockton, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Collecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collecting. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on collecting

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!