gather

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA ^(key): /ˈɡæðɚ/
• (UK) IPA ^(key): /ˈɡæðə/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

Plain form gather

Third-person singular gathers

Past tense gathered

Past participle gathered

Present participle gathering

1. (transitive & intransitive) If people or things gather, they come together.

   A crowd of several hundred gathered outside the police station.

   We gathered thousands of signatures to end the war.

   The amount of data that scientists are gathering on the brain is similarly increasing every year.

   I gathered my courage, walked into the room, and closed the door behind me.

   Let us read for ourselves all the information that they gathered.

2. (transitive & intransitive) If you gather something, you've heard or read it, or you have reason to believe it, but you don't know.

   This trip was a kept secret, I gather , until yesterday.

   I gather that he does not entirely trust her.

   I gather you're currently writing a book.

3. (transitive) If something gathers speed, it continues to get faster.

   The train pulled ahead , gathering speed as it moved away.

4. (transitive) If something is gathering dust, it is not being used.

   Remember that wheelchair? It was gathering dust in the garage.

Synonyms

• understand
• hear
• meet
• assume
• collect
• harvest

Related words

• gatherer