Synonyms of collecting

collecting

verb

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

• containing
• composing
• calming
• controlling
• restraining
• re-collecting
• settling
• recovering
• holding back
• rallying
• soothing
• stilling
• tranquilizing
• lulling
• quieting

2

as in accumulating

to gradually form into a layer, pile, or mass

dust has been collecting under my bed for years

Synonyms & Similar Words

• accumulating
• gathering
• amassing
• concentrating
• accreting
• piling (up)
• massing
• stacking (up)
• conglomerating
• building up
• drifting
• lumping
• clumping
• agglutinating
• banking
• ridging

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• scattering
• dispersing
• dissipating

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

• compiling
• anthologizing
• assembling
• gathering
• editing
• accumulating
• revising
• amassing
• collating
• grouping
• reworking
• redrafting
• revamping
• redacting
• reediting
• recompiling

4

as in assembling

to bring together in one body or place

she collects antique silverware

Synonyms & Similar Words

• assembling
• gathering
• amassing
• accumulating
• corralling
• grouping
• garnering
• combining
• packing
• joining
• concentrating
• lumping
• congregating
• organizing
• getting together
• piling
• stacking
• arranging
• compiling
• rounding up
• bulking (up)
• constellating
• uniting
• raising
• connecting
• mustering
• picking up
• merging
• collating
• rallying
• linking
• pooling
• balling
• clustering
• huddling
• batching
• swarming
• bunching
• banding
• herding
• flocking
• heaping
• systematizing
• archiving
• regrouping
• pressing
• hiving
• thronging
• brigading
• re-collecting
• scraping (up or together)
• regathering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dispersing
• scattering
• separating
• dissipating
• sending
• dissolving
• disintegrating
• dispelling
• splitting (up)
• severing
• dismissing
• breaking up
• disbanding

5

as in gathering

to come together into one body or place

a crowd collected at the beach as the sun slowly set over the horizon

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gathering
• assembling
• converging
• meeting
• convening
• joining
• rendezvousing
• concentrating
• congregating
• clustering
• merging
• getting together
• cooperating
• conglomerating
• consolidating
• collaborating
• forgathering
• concentering
• affiliating
• coupling
• uniting
• associating
• clubbing
• allying
• reassembling
• consorting
• federating
• banding (together)
• conjoining
• ganging up
• confederating
• caucusing
• reconvening
• remeeting
• regathering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dispersing
• leaving
• splitting (up)
• disbanding
• breaking up
• departing
• taking off
• dissociating
• disjoining
• disuniting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of collecting

The data the probe is collecting at the farthest reaches of our solar system is the first of its kind. — Brett Tingley, Space.com, 8 July 2026

Despite collecting from countless franchises, Darth Vader remains one of his all-time favorites. — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026

Discoveries unearthed in a cave in what’s now Turkey indicate the two groups did not merely cross paths but may have shared some cultural traditions, making similar tools and collecting the same kind of shell. — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 7 July 2026

The biggest misstep newcomers make is treating a corporate event like a live resume drop—pitching their skills or collecting business cards like trophies, which immediately triggers executive fatigue. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Feuer argues that progress may depend less on collecting additional information and more on helping educators make effective use of the information already available to them. — Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 6 July 2026

Note that chandeliers, pendant lights, and fixtures with elaborate details are notorious for collecting dust in crevices that are hard to notice at first glance. — Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 July 2026

Minnesota investigators arrived at the house where Sosa-Celis lived and began collecting evidence alongside the FBI, only to be abruptly cut off when the bureau changed its mind. — Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026

At donation centers across Miami-Dade County, members of the Venezuelan community are collecting supplies for victims while anxiously waiting for news from home. — Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 30 June 2026