Library / English Dictionary

GATHER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of gathering something

Synonyms:

gather; gathering

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("gather" is a kind of...):

aggregation; assembling; collecting; collection (the act of gathering something together)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "gather"):

centralisation; centralization (gathering to a center)

harvest; harvest home; harvesting (the gathering of a ripened crop)

Derivation:

gather (look for (food) in nature)

gather (assemble or get together)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Sewing consisting of small folds or puckers made by pulling tight a thread in a line of stitching

Synonyms:

gather; gathering

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("gather" is a kind of...):

sewing; stitchery (needlework on which you are working with needle and thread)

Derivation:

gather (draw together into folds or puckers)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Increase or develop

Example:

the car gathers speed

Synonyms:

gain; gather

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "gather" is one way to...):

increase (become bigger or greater in amount)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Collect or gather

Example:

The work keeps piling up

Synonyms:

accumulate; amass; conglomerate; cumulate; gather; pile up

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "gather" is one way to...):

increase (become bigger or greater in amount)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "gather"):

backlog (accumulate and create a backlog)

accrete (grow or become attached by accretion)

drift (be piled up in banks or heaps by the force of wind or a current)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

gathering (the act of gathering something)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Conclude from evidence

Example:

I gather you have not done your homework

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "gather" is one way to...):

conclude; reason; reason out (decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sense 4

Meaning:

Look for (food) in nature

Example:

Our ancestors gathered nuts in the Fall

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "gather" is one way to...):

look for; search; seek (try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "gather"):

shell (look for and collect shells by the seashore)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

gather (the act of gathering something)

gatherer (a person who gathers)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Draw together into folds or puckers

Synonyms:

gather; pucker; tuck

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "gather" is one way to...):

run up; sew; sew together; stitch (fasten by sewing; do needlework)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

gather; gathering (sewing consisting of small folds or puckers made by pulling tight a thread in a line of stitching)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Draw and bring closer

Example:

she gathered her shawl around her shoulders

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "gather" is one way to...):

pull (apply force so as to cause motion towards the source of the motion)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 7

Meaning:

Assemble or get together

Example:

pull your thoughts together

Synonyms:

collect; garner; gather; pull together

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "gather"):

heap up; pile up; stack up (arrange into piles or stacks)

shock (collect or gather into shocks)

clam (gather clams, by digging in the sand by the ocean)

pearl (gather pearls, from oysters in the ocean)

sponge (gather sponges, in the ocean)

oyster (gather oysters, dig oysters)

nest (gather nests)

bird-nest; birdnest (gather birdnests)

snail (gather snails)

nut (gather nuts)

cull; pick; pluck (look for and gather)

round up (seek out and bring together)

come up; muster; muster up; rally; summon (gather or bring together)

salvage; scavenge (collect discarded material)

hive (gather into a hive)

club (gather into a club-like mass)

glean; harvest; reap (gather, as of natural products)

rake (gather with a rake)

marshal; mobilise; mobilize; summon (make ready for action or use)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Antonym:

spread (distribute or disperse widely)

Also:

gather up (take and lift upward)

Derivation:

gather (the act of gathering something)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Collect in one place

Example:

Let's gather in the dining room

Synonyms:

assemble; foregather; forgather; gather; meet

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "gather" is one way to...):

interact (act together or towards others or with others)

Verb group:

come across; encounter; meet; run across; run into; see (come together)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "gather"):

club (gather and spend time together)

caucus (meet to select a candidate or promote a policy)

turn out (come and gather for a public event)

converge (move or draw together at a certain location)

crowd; crowd together (to gather together in large numbers)

clump; cluster; constellate; flock (come together as in a cluster or flock)

convene (meet formally)

fort; fort up (gather in, or as if in, a fort, as for protection or defense)

hive (move together in a hive or as if in a hive)

congregate (come together, usually for a purpose)

meet (meet by design; be present at the arrival of)

aggroup; group (form a group or group together)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

gathering (the social act of assembling)

gathering (a group of persons together in one place)

Sense 9

Meaning:

Get people together

Example:

gather the close family members

Synonyms:

assemble; gather; get together

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Cause:

assemble; foregather; forgather; gather; meet (collect in one place)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "gather"):

make (form by assembling individuals or constituents)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

They want to gather the prisoners

Derivation:

gathering (the social act of assembling)

gathering (a group of persons together in one place)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Dark rumours gathered round him in the university town, and eventually he was compelled to resign his chair and to come down to London, where he set up as an Army coach.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A fully developed elliptical galaxy is a gas-deficient gathering of ancient stars theorized to develop from the inside out, with a compact core marking its beginnings.

(Telescopes Uncover Early Construction of Giant Galaxy, NASA)

The discovery of the massive Jovian tempest occurred on Nov. 3, 2019, during the most recent data-gathering flyby of Jupiter by NASA's Juno spacecraft.

(NASA's Juno Navigators Enable Jupiter Cyclone Discovery, NASA)

The SAM team organized a different experiment for this weekend to gather more information on what might be a transient plume.

(Curiosity Detects Unusually High Methane Levels, NASA)

When they examined the information gathered during that flyby 21 years ago, sure enough, high-resolution magnetometer data showed something strange.

(Old Data Reveal New Evidence of Europa Plumes, NASA)

Such was the impression of strength I gathered from this man who paced up and down.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

A crowd of morbid sightseers were still gathered round Deep Dene House, which was just such a suburban villa as I had pictured.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Do you know, Watson,” said Holmes as we sat together in the gathering darkness, “I have really some scruples as to taking you to-night. There is a distinct element of danger.”

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"There's a storm gathering out there on the sea-rim."

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Returning, he gathered his pots and pans together, packed his grub-box, and rolled up his bed.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)