gather

[gath -er] /ˈgæð ər/
verb (used with object)
1.
to bring together into one group, collection, or place:
to gather firewood; to gather the troops.
2.
to bring together or assemble from various places, sources, or people; collect gradually:
The college is gathering a faculty from all over the country.
3.
to serve as a center of attention for; attract:
A good football game always gathers a crowd.
4.
to pick or harvest (any crop or natural yield) from its place of growth or formation:
to gather fruit; to gather flowers.
5.
to pick up piece by piece:
Gather your toys from the floor.
6.
to pick or scoop up:
She gathered the crying child in her arms.
7.
to collect (as taxes, dues, money owed, etc.).
8.
to accumulate; increase:
The storm gathers force. The car gathered speed.
9.
to take by selection from among other things; sort out; cull.
10.
to assemble or collect (one's energies or oneself) as for an effort (often followed by up):
He gathered up his strength for the hard job.
11.
to learn or conclude from observation; infer; deduce:
I gather that he is the real leader.
12.
to wrap or draw around or close:
He gathered his scarf around his neck.
13.
to contract (the brow) into wrinkles.
14.
to draw (cloth) up on a thread in fine folds or puckers by means of even stitches.
15.
Bookbinding. to assemble (the printed sections of a book) in proper sequence for binding.
16.
Nautical. to gain (way) from a dead stop or extremely slow speed.
17.
Metalworking. to increase the sectional area of (stock) by any of various operations.
18.
Glassmaking. to accumulate or collect (molten glass) at the end of a tube for blowing, shaping, etc.
verb (used without object)
19.
to come together around a central point; assemble:
Let's gather round the fire and sing.
20.
to collect or accumulate:
Clouds were gathering in the northeast.
21.
to grow, as by accretion; increase.
22.
to become contracted into wrinkles, folds, creases, etc., as the brow or as cloth.
23.
to come to a head, as a sore in suppurating.
noun
24.
a drawing together; contraction.
25.
Often, gathers. a fold or pucker, as in gathered cloth.
26.
an act or instance of gathering.
27.
an amount or number gathered, as during a harvest.
28.
Glassmaking. a mass of molten glass attached to the end of a punty.
Idioms
29.
be gathered to one's fathers, to die.
Origin
before 900; Middle English gaderen, Old English gaderian, derivative of geador together, akin to gæd fellowship; cf. together, good
Related forms
gatherable, adjective
gatherer, noun
pregather, verb (used without object)
regather, verb
ungathered, adjective
well-gathered, adjective
Synonyms
1, 2. accumulate, amass, garner, hoard. Gather, assemble, collect, muster, marshal imply bringing or drawing together. Gather expresses the general idea usually with no implication of arrangement: to gather seashells. Assemble is used of objects or facts brought together preparatory to arranging them: to assemble data for a report. Collect implies purposeful accumulation to form an ordered whole: to collect evidence. Muster, primarily a military term, suggests thoroughness in the process of collection: to muster all one's resources. Marshal, another term primarily military, suggests rigorously ordered, purposeful arrangement: to marshal facts for effective presentation. 4. pluck, crop, reap, glean, garner. 11. assume, understand. 20. accrete.
Antonyms
1, 19. separate, disperse.
Examples from the web for gather
  • Insider trading is tough to prove, and it can take years to gather enough evidence to bring charges.
  • Tilt the controller to gather flower petals and bring color back to a dreary landscape and a sinister-looking city.
  • In a cacao harvest, workers gather ripe pods and extract the bean-laden pulp by hand.
  • Clustering is the phenomenon whereby firms from the same industry gather together in close proximity.
  • All around the world, kite fans gather at festivals.
  • Stand above the pools, and the fish will gather below, waiting.
  • But at night, the deceased's companions would gather to mourn.
  • gather beautiful individual leaves during a walk in the country or neighborhood.
  • gather cuttings early in the day, when plants are fresh and full of moisture.
  • First, have students work in their teams to gather basic information about coral reefs.
British Dictionary definitions for gather

gather

/ˈɡæðə/
verb
1.
to assemble or cause to assemble
2.
to collect or be collected gradually; muster
3.
(transitive) to learn from information given; conclude or assume
4.
(transitive) to pick or harvest (flowers, fruit, etc)
5.
(transitive; foll by to or into) to clasp or embrace: the mother gathered the child into her arms
6.
(transitive) to bring close (to) or wrap (around): she gathered her shawl about her shoulders
7.
to increase or cause to increase gradually, as in force, speed, intensity, etc
8.
to contract (the brow) or (of the brow) to become contracted into wrinkles; knit
9.
(transitive) to assemble (sections of a book) in the correct sequence for binding
10.
(transitive) to collect by making a selection
11.
(transitive) to prepare or make ready: to gather one's wits
12.
to draw (material) into a series of small tucks or folds by passing a thread through it and then pulling it tight
13.
(intransitive) (of a boil or other sore) to come to a head; form pus
noun
14.
  1. the act of gathering
  2. the amount gathered
15.
a small fold in material, as made by a tightly pulled stitch; tuck
16.
(printing) an informal name for section (sense 17)
Derived Forms
gatherable, adjective
gatherer, noun
Word Origin
Old English gadrian; related to Old Frisian gaderia, Middle Low German gaderen
Word Origin and History for gather
v.

Old English gadrian, gædrian "unite, agree, assemble; gather, collect, store up," used of flowers, thoughts, persons; from Proto-Germanic *gadurojan "bring together, unite" (cf. Old English gæd "fellowship, companionship," gædeling "companion;" Middle Low German gadderen; Old Frisian gaderia; Dutch gaderen "to gather," gade "spouse;" German Gatte "husband;" Gothic gadiliggs), from PIE *ghedh- "to unite, join" (see good (adj.). Change of spelling from -d- to -th- is 1500s, reflecting earlier change in pronunciation. Related: Gathered; gathering.

Idioms and Phrases with gather

gather

see: rolling stone gathers no moss