gather Hear it!

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gather definition

gather (gat̸h′ər)

transitive verb

  1. to cause to come together in one place or group
  2. to get or collect gradually from various places, sources, etc.; amass; accumulate to gather information
  3. to bring close to gather a blanket about one's legs
  4. to pick, pluck, or collect by picking; harvest to gather crops
  5. to get as an idea or impression; infer; conclude I gather that you disagree
  6. to prepare to collect (oneself, one's energies) to meet a situation
  7. to gain or acquire gradually to gather speed
  8. to draw (cloth) on a thread loosely stitched across it into fixed folds or puckers
  9. to wrinkle (one's brow)
  10. to put (the pages or signatures of a book) in proper order for binding

Etymology: ME gaderen < OE gad(e)rian, akin to OFris gaduria, Du gaderen < IE base *ghedh-, to unite, join > (to)gether, good, Ger gatte, spouse

intransitive verb

  1. to come together; assemble to gather for lunch
  2. to form pus; come to a head, as a boil; fester
  3. to increase clouds gathered
  4. to become wrinkled: said of the brow

noun

a pucker or fold made in cloth

Related Forms:

gather Idioms

be gathered to one's fathers

to die: cf. Judg. 2:10

gather up

  1. to pick up and assemble
  2. to draw together; make more compact

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms gather idiom

gather Synonyms

gather

v.

  1. To come together

    assemble, meet, gather around, congregate, rally, crowd, throng, convene, collect, muster, unite, get together, flock together, hang around, flock in, pour in, associate, hold a reunion, reunite, forgather, resort, swarm, huddle, go into a huddle, rally around, group, converge, accumulate, cluster, concentrate, close, gang up*.

    Antonyms scatter*, disperse*, part. *

  2. To bring together

    collect, assemble, rally, accumulate, aggregate, amass, muster, marshal, mobilize, round up, draw in, pick up, rake up, fish up, swoop up, scoop up, pile up; see also accumulate 1, assemble 2.

  3. To conclude

    infer, deduce, find; see assume 1.

  4. To harvest

    garner, reap, glean, take in; see harvest.

  5. To choose

    pick, cull, select; see choose 1.

gather is the general term for a bringing or coming together to gather scattered objects, people gathered at the corners; collect usually implies careful choice in gathering from various sources, a bringing into an orderly arrangement, etc. he collects coins; assemble applies especially to the gathering together of persons for some special purpose assemble the students in the auditorium; muster applies to a formal assembling, especially of troops for inspection, roll call, etc. See also syn. study at infer.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

gather Usage Examples

Object

  • momentum: Already it was making waves in many sectors, but its growth has gathered momentum sharply in the past year.

Adjective complement

  • outside: Television cameras were not allowed in the church but the sound of the service was transmitted to hundreds of people who gathered outside.

Modifying Another Word

  • together: The house of Jehovah answers to our being gathered together.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • around: Mark moves among your guests and performs for individuals; others gather around to watch, forming small groups.

Followed by a transitive particle

  • around: All of the saints of God will gather around the banquet table of the Lamb with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Infinitive complement

  • celebrate: Patients and friends, many of them from the unit's first few years, gathered to celebrate the start of its second decade.

Preposition: in

  • circle: They gather in a circle on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, wearing jeans and T-shirts.

Preposition: for

  • worship: What a privilege to be able to gather for worship.
gather usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

gather quotes

I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein you have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen. And ye shall know that I am the L, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers. And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall loath yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.

-Bible (Old Testament)

He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him,Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

-Bible (NewTestament)

Gather ye rose-buds while ye may, Old Time is still a flying: And this same flower that smiles to day, Tomorrow will be dying.

-Herrick, Robert

gather quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"gather." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
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gather. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/gather

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