1
as in assembly
a body of people come together in one place
the President spoke before the gathering of student leaders
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in meeting
a coming together of a number of persons for a specified purpose
attended a gathering for descendants of people who came to America on the Mayflower
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in accumulation
a mass or quantity that has piled up or that has been gathered over a period of time
a great gathering of dust under the bed
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in brewing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in collecting
to bring together in one body or place
he gathered the leftovers from the table and gave them to the dog let's gather the students and have them line up on the playground before going in from recess
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
as in converging
to come together into one body or place
a crowd gathered around the street musician ask the faculty to gather in the lounge for the meeting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in deriving
to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information
I gather that, since you are back so early, she didn't want to see you?
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
as in gaining
to gradually increase in
the movement gathered force as election day neared
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Cite this Entry
“Gathering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gathering. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
