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 Some collectors are also looking beyond traditional categories of collecting and are interested in rare objects with a strong story behind them. George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 14 July 2026 One of the biggest challenges in robotics is collecting enough training data. Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026 The Secretary of State’s Office also couldn’t verify that every person collecting signatures was an Idaho resident, as required by Idaho law. Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 14 July 2026 The treatment works by collecting T cells, the immune system’s frontline cancer-fighting cells, from a patient’s blood. Sam MacDonald, Scientific American, 14 July 2026 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is collecting data on cases, but has been slow in reporting them. Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 14 July 2026 Public officials will soon decide whether the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, should entertain the idea of collecting more property tax dollars next year. Sofi Zeman july 14, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026 The second misunderstanding is that because of their strong welfare systems, citizens of Nordic countries lie around while collecting benefits. Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 14 July 2026 Auction houses have spent years betting that newer collecting categories would mature into significant businesses. Daniel Cassady For Artnews, Robb Report, 13 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collecting
Verb
  • Infected people experience symptoms from two days to two weeks after consuming food or drinking water containing the parasite.
    Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • The post-credits scene begins in the mortuary where Will’s funeral was held, when an undertaker and her daughter walk by shelves of urns containing deceased people’s ashes that weren’t picked up by families.
    Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Verb
  • The service payments to manage the debt are accumulating at speed.
    Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 14 July 2026
  • Morsa Images / Getty Images Evidence has been accumulating steadily for over a decade that arthroscopic knee surgery to shave torn, degenerative cartilage does not help more than physical therapy.
    Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal, CBS News, 13 July 2026
Verb
  • While there is always a bit of a blowout risk for the Rig Hands, Simmons is out on the floor plenty and has proven capable of compiling points in relatively efficient fashion.
    Juan Carlos Blanco, Forbes.com, 12 July 2026
  • Kennedy is set to start the process of compiling a list of injuries that are presumed to be caused by Covid shots.
    Chelsea Cirruzzo, STAT, 8 July 2026
Verb
  • Recipe Tips for Sailor Sandwich Browning the pastrami and knockwurst before assembling the sandwich builds flavor and removes moisture from the meats, which helps keep the bread crisp.
    Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 15 July 2026
  • The company is now assembling the Starcloud-2 mission, a 450 kg satellite with 8 kW of power generation.
    Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 15 July 2026
Verb
  • By that point, for a variety of reasons, the culture of spas as gathering places in the summer was on the wane, and many spa towns had to reinvent themselves.
    Veronique Greenwood, Time, 9 July 2026
  • While one team spent 12 hours gathering information on potential victims in the area, the other worked actively on-site.
    Ella Moore July 9, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
Verb
  • Dundas established his own recording studio and began composing film scores; Aherne headed to the United States and released a solo project; and Greer became a teacher.
    Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2026
  • Anthony Hopkins isn’t just an Oscar-winning actor — for decades, he’s been composing music in addition to his acting roles.
    Pat Saperstein, Variety, 10 July 2026
Verb
  • News of the discovery prompted community outrage on social media, with the Facebook post amassing more than 1,200 reactions and comments as of July 13.
    Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 13 July 2026
  • Drafted as a running back, Hawthorne served mainly as a backup, amassing 527 career rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
    Jim Barnes July 11, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 July 2026
Verb
  • Gerut argues that Amazon and SpaceX are evolving into converging infrastructure conglomerates.
    Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 14 July 2026
  • The landscape opens up, and passengers catch glimpses of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers converging to form the Ohio River.
    Abby Price, Travel + Leisure, 14 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Collecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collecting. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on collecting

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster