gather

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To bring people or things together in one place.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

gather

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US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɡæðɚ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

To collect normally separate things.
Especially, to harvest food.
To bring parts of a whole closer.
Draw and bring closer
“She gathered her shawl around her shoulders.”
intransitive
To congregate, or assemble.
Conclude from evidence
“I gather you have not done your homework.”

noun

A plait or fold in cloth, made by drawing a thread through it; a pucker.
The act of gathering something
The inclination forward of the axle journals to keep the wheels from working outward.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency: Common
Typical Use: Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To collect normally separate things.

Used this way, gather is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: No strong connotation
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

foregather , rarer, so it draws attention

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

How It’s Used

The word’s distinct uses, one example each.

Bring / drawverb
“She gathered her shawl around her shoulders.”
Concludeverb
“I gather you have not done your homework.”

More ways to use gather

“She gathered her shawl around her shoulders.”verb
“I gather you have not done your homework.”verb
“Our ancestors gathered nuts in the Fall.”verb

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

gather roundgather informationgather togethergather data

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

gatheringnounInflected form
A group of persons together in one place.
gatheredadjectiveInflected form
Brought together in one place.
gatherernounInflected form
A person who gathers.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

gathering placenounCompound term
A favorite haunt where people gather.
gather inverbCompound term
Fold up.
gather upverbCompound term
Take and lift upward.
gathered skirtnounCompound term
A skirt whose fabric is drawn together around the waist.
hunter-gatherernounCompound term
A member of a hunting and gathering society.
hunting and gathering societynounCompound term
Group that supports itself by hunting and fishing and by gathering wild fruits and vegetables.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to collect normally separate things

meetassembletuck

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.