Definition of gatheringnext
1
2
3

gathering

2 of 3

adjective

gathering

3 of 3

verb

present participle of gather
1
2
as in harvesting
to catch or collect (a crop or natural resource) for human use late summer is when we gather the tomatoes and begin canning them for the winter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
4
5
as in accumulating
to gradually form into a layer, pile, or mass the newspapers that had been allowed to gather on the front doorstep told thieves that the family was away on vacation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

6
7
as in summoning
to call into being through the use of one's inner resources or powers gathered the strength to finish the marathon

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 gathering
Noun
His public funeral will begin on Saturday, with his body lying in state at the colossal complex in central Tehran that hosts major Friday prayers, official ceremonies and religious gatherings. Alex Sundby, CBS News, 30 June 2026 Political conventions are typically massive gatherings reserved for presidential election years, where parties formally nominate their candidates for the general election. Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Verb
Pedestrians were seen gathering on every corner surrounding the building watching the situation unfold. Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026 Avoid Steering Customers Toward ‘Yes’ A common mistake is to ask steering questions when gathering customer feedback. Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for gathering
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gathering
Noun
  • Alysa Guffey More than 50 people gathered in 90-degree heat to protest welcoming data centers to Indianapolis before packing the public assembly room on the second floor of the City-County Building.
    Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 2 July 2026
  • Management intends for this centralized assembly method to establish a standardized production system for future units.
    Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 2 July 2026
Noun
  • An explosion went off near the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus on Tuesday, where French President Emmanuel Macron had spent the night ahead of a meeting with his Syrian counterpart, according to French and Syrian media.
    Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
  • The build-up to this meeting has been tense, with defense spending remaining a contentious topic.
    Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 7 July 2026
Noun
  • Ocean heat content — a measure of heat stored through the upper layers of the ocean — has reached record highs in recent years, reflecting a long-term accumulation of heat across the global ocean.
    Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • Ultimately, managing one's emotions is paramount for true wealth accumulation.
    ByGabriel Shahin, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Adjective
  • But this bet will face its most serious test in the brewing Republican presidential primary.
    Ben Smith, semafor.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • The government argued both that Chatrie had tacitly agreed to Google collecting the information and that Chatrie had no reasonable expectation of privacy in third-party Google’s records.
    Anne Toomey McKenna, The Conversation, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • Since radishes mature much more quickly than carrots, harvesting them creates room for the carrots to fully mature.
    SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 30 June 2026
  • Historians estimate that people have been growing and harvesting olives for some 8,000 years.
    Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 June 2026
Verb
  • Despite global tech fragmentation and rivalries, major powers are surprisingly converging on addressing AI's most catastrophic risks.
    Mark Minevich, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Zeller said the idea grew out of several converging trends, from the enduring popularity of baking shows to the explosion of baking videos on TikTok and the broader family appeal of food as entertainment.
    Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • Adoring the outcome means deriving joy from seeing the success of others.
    Chip Bell, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
  • But deriving a unified theory of volcanism will require a geologic Manhattan Project.
    Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 8 May 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gathering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gathering. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on gathering

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