gather

GATH-ur/ˈɡæðɚ/UKGATH-uh/ˈɡæðə/

Noun pluralgathers

19 meanings of gather

1
verbtransitive
To bring things together into one group or place.
Like picking up puzzle pieces from the floor and putting them in one pile.
Please gather your toys and put them in the box.
She gathered all the cups from the tables after the party.
Similarcollect, assemble, amass, compile, accumulate
Oppositescatter, disperse, distribute
Note
2
verbintransitive
To come together in one place as a group.
Like birds landing on the same tree at sunset.
People gather in the park every Sunday morning.
A crowd gathered outside the theater before the show.
Similarassemble, congregate, meet, collect, flock
Oppositedisperse, scatter
Note
3
verbtransitive
To understand something from clues or from what people tell you.
Like a detective who figures out what happened from small clues.
I gather you didn't enjoy the movie very much.
From her wet coat, he gathered that it was raining outside.
Similarunderstand, infer, deduce, conclude, surmise
Note
4
verbintransitive
To slowly collect more and more of something over time.
Like saving one coin at a time until the jar is full.
Old books gather dust if nobody reads them.
She gathered hundreds of stamps over many years.
Similaraccumulate, collect, mount
5
verbtransitive
To pick food, like fruit or nuts, from where it grows.
We gather blackberries from the bushes every August.
The farmers gathered the corn before the first frost.
Similarpick, harvest, collect, forage
6
verbintransitive
To slowly grow bigger as more and more material builds up.
Like a snowball that gets bigger and bigger as it rolls downhill.
Dark clouds gather and grow bigger before a storm.
The snowdrift gathered against the fence all through the night.
Similarbuild, grow, accumulate, swell, mass
Oppositedissipate, shrink, disperse
Note
7
verbtransitive
To pull the parts of something closer together.
She gathered her hair into a ponytail.
Gather the top of the bag and tie it with string.
Similardraw, pull, wrap, fold, bunch
8
verbtransitive
To gain something, such as speed, strength, or courage.
The train gathered speed as it left the station.
Take a deep breath and gather your courage before you speak.
Similargain, build, garner, win, attract
Oppositelose, shed
Note
9
nouncountable
A meeting or event where people, animals, or things are brought together.
Every fall, the ranch holds a gather to bring all the cattle in.
Everyone in town came to the big gather at the fairgrounds.
Similarroundup, get-together, meeting, assembly, muster
Note
10
nouncountable
A small fold in cloth made by pulling a thread through it.
The dress has a gather at each shoulder.
Mom sewed gathers into the curtain so it would hang in soft folds.
Similarpleat, fold, tuck, pucker

11
verbtransitive
To pull cloth into small folds with thread so it becomes narrower.
Like pulling the string on a bag so the cloth pulls into small folds.
Mom showed me how to gather the fabric at the top of the skirt.
She gathered the cloth before sewing it to the waistband.
Similarpleat, ruche, shirr, pucker, tuck
Note
12
verbtransitive
To pull stitches in knitting closer together so the piece becomes smaller or tighter.
To finish the hat, gather the last stitches and pull the yarn tight.
Grandma gathered the stitches at the toe of the sock.
Similardraw
Note
13
verbtransitive
To pull something in toward you, like a rope or a net.
Gather the rope before the boat drifts too far from the dock.
The fishermen gathered the net slowly so the fish could not escape.
Similarhaul, reel, draw, pull
Oppositeease, release
Note
14
nouncountable
A ball of hot melted glass that sticks to the end of a long pipe.
Like a ball of soft, melted candy on the end of a stick.
The artist turned the pipe so the gather of glass would not drip.
He blew into the pipe, and the gather slowly grew into a bubble.
Similargob
15
verbtransitive
To pick up hot melted glass on the end of a tool.
Like dipping a spoon into thick honey to pick some up.
Watch how she gathers glass from the hot oven onto her pipe.
First you gather the glass, then you blow it into a shape.
Similarcollect
Note
16
verbintransitive
To fill with pus, the thick yellow liquid that forms around an infection.
The cut on his foot began to gather, so the doctor cleaned it.
If a wound gathers, it may need to be opened and drained.
Similarfester, suppurate
Oppositeheal
Note
17
verbtransitive
To make a stone or brick space narrower as it goes up, like a chimney above a fireplace.
Like a funnel that gets narrower toward the top.
The builder will gather the bricks above the fireplace to meet the chimney.
Old houses often have walls that are gathered in above the fire.
Similarnarrow, contract, taper
Oppositewiden
Note
18
nouncountable
The underside of the brick or stone work where a chimney narrows.
The gather above the fireplace was black with old smoke.
He reached up and felt the rough gather inside the chimney.
Note
19
noununcountable
A slight forward tilt at the ends of an axle that stops the wheels from slipping outward.
Without enough gather, the wheels would slowly work their way off the axle.
The wheel maker checked the gather before fitting the wheels back on the cart.

Practice

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Origin

It comes from Old English gaderian, meaning "to gather or bring together."