gather

verb

/ˈɡæðə(r)/

/ˈɡæðər/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they gather	/ˈɡæðə(r)/ /ˈɡæðər/
he / she / it gathers	/ˈɡæðəz/ /ˈɡæðərz/
past simple gathered	/ˈɡæðəd/ /ˈɡæðərd/
past participle gathered	/ˈɡæðəd/ /ˈɡæðərd/
-ing form gathering	/ˈɡæðərɪŋ/ /ˈɡæðərɪŋ/

Idioms

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come/bring together

[intransitive, transitive] to come together, or bring people together, in one place to form a group

A crowd soon gathered.
+ adv./prep. His supporters gathered in the main square.
Can you all gather round? I've got something to tell you.
The whole family gathered together at Ray's home.
be gathered + adv./prep. They were all gathered round the TV.
A large crowd was gathered outside the studio.
The kids were gathered together in one room.

Extra Examples

They are all gathering for a major conference.
The boys gathered around the car.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

hastily
hurriedly
quickly
…

See full entry

[transitive] to bring things together that have been spread around

gather something People slowly gathered their belongings and left the hall.
I waited while he gathered up his papers.
gather something together She gathered her things together and got to her feet.

Synonyms collectcollect

gather
accumulate
amass

These words all mean to get more of something over a period of time, or to increase in quantity over a period of time.

collect
to bring things or information together from different people or places; to gradually increase in amount in a place:
- We’ve been collecting data from various sources.
- Dirt had collected in the corners of the room.
People sometimes collect things of a particular type as a hobby: to collect stamps.
gather
to bring things together that have been spread around; to collect information from different sources:
- I waited while he gathered up his papers.
- Detectives have spent months gathering evidence.

collect or gather?Both collect and gather can be used in the same way to talk about bringing together data, information or evidence. When talking about things, gather is used with words like things, belongings or papers when the things are spread around within a short distance. Collect is used for getting examples of something from different people or places that are physically separated.

accumulate
(rather formal) to gradually get more and more of something over a period of time; to gradually increase in number or quantity over a period of time:
- I seem to have accumulated a lot of books.
- Debts began to accumulate.
amass
(rather formal) to collect something in large quantities, especially money, debts or information:
- He amassed a fortune from silver mining.

Patterns

to collect/gather/accumulate/amass data/evidence/information
to accumulate/amass a fortune/debts
dirt/dust/debris collects/accumulates
to gradually/slowly collect/gather/accumulate (something)

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

hastily
hurriedly
quickly
…

See full entry

collect

[transitive] gather something to collect information from different sources

to gather information/data/intelligence
Detectives have spent months gathering evidence.

Synonyms collectcollect

gather
accumulate
amass

These words all mean to get more of something over a period of time, or to increase in quantity over a period of time.

collect
to bring things or information together from different people or places; to gradually increase in amount in a place:
- We’ve been collecting data from various sources.
- Dirt had collected in the corners of the room.
People sometimes collect things of a particular type as a hobby: to collect stamps.
gather
to bring things together that have been spread around; to collect information from different sources:
- I waited while he gathered up his papers.
- Detectives have spent months gathering evidence.

accumulate
(rather formal) to gradually get more and more of something over a period of time; to gradually increase in number or quantity over a period of time:
- I seem to have accumulated a lot of books.
- Debts began to accumulate.
amass
(rather formal) to collect something in large quantities, especially money, debts or information:
- He amassed a fortune from silver mining.

Patterns

to collect/gather/accumulate/amass data/evidence/information
to accumulate/amass a fortune/debts
dirt/dust/debris collects/accumulates
to gradually/slowly collect/gather/accumulate (something)

[transitive] gather something to collect plants, fruit, etc. from a wide area

to gather wild flowers
They lived in the forest, gathering mushrooms and berries to eat.

crops/harvest

[transitive] gather something (in) (formal or literary) to pick or cut and collect crops to be stored

It was late August and the harvest had been safely gathered in.

believe/understand

[transitive, intransitive] (not used in the progressive tenses) to believe or understand that something is true because of information or evidence you have

gather (that)… I gather (that) you wanted to see me.
I gather from your letter that you're not enjoying your job.
gather (something) ‘There's been a delay.’ ‘I gathered that.’
‘She won't be coming.’ ‘So I gather.’
You're self-employed, I gather.
As far as I can gather, he got involved in a fight.
From what I can gather, there's been some kind of problem.

increase

[transitive] gather something to increase in speed, force, etc.

The truck gathered speed.
During the 1980s the green movement gathered momentum.
Thousands of these machines are gathering dust (= not being used) in stockrooms.
As the weeks passed, Charlotte began to gather strength.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

quickly
rapidly
slowly
…

verb + gather

begin to
start to
continue to
…

See full entry

of clouds/darkness

[intransitive] to gradually increase in number or amount

The storm clouds were gathering.
the gathering gloom of a winter’s afternoon

clothing

[transitive] to pull a piece of clothing tighter to your body

gather something around you/something He gathered his cloak around him.
gather something up She gathered up her skirts and ran.

[transitive] gather something (in) to pull parts of a piece of clothing together in folds and sew them in place

She wore a skirt gathered (in) at the waist.

hold somebody

[transitive] gather somebody + adv./prep. to pull somebody towards you and put your arms around them

She gathered the child in her arms and held him close.
He gathered her to him.
He gathered her close and kissed her.

prepare yourself

[transitive] gather something/yourself to prepare yourself to do something that requires effort

I sat down for a moment to gather my strength.
She was still trying to gather her thoughts together when the door opened.
Fortunately the short delay gave him time to gather himself.

breath

gather your breath to get your breath back after an effort

He paused to gather his breath.

Word OriginOld English gaderian, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch gaderen, also to together.

Idioms

collect/gather dust

to not be used for a long time
- Play your guitar that's gathering dust, or pull out the old tennis racket for a match.
- You may already have an old laptop that is collecting dust but otherwise usable.

a rolling stone gathers no moss

(saying) a person who moves from place to place, job to job, etc. does not have a lot of money, possessions or friends but is free from responsibilities