What does "gather" mean?
A plait or fold in cloth, made by drawing a thread through it; a pucker.
Gather
/ˈɡæðə/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A plait or fold in cloth, made by drawing a thread through it; a pucker.
- Grammar: gather is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: assemble, accumulate, amass, collect.
- Useful contrasts: scattered people, strewn, disbanding.
- Usage evidence: Maruyama Park is a place where a lot of people gather.
How to use "gather"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "gather" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "gather" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "gather" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "gather" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "gather" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "assemble" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "gather", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A plait or fold in cloth, made by drawing a thread through it; a pucker.
- 2 the act of gathering something wordnet
- 3 The inclination forward of the axle journals to keep the wheels from working outward.
- 4 sewing consisting of small folds or puckers made by pulling tight a thread in a line of stitching wordnet
- 5 The soffit or under surface of the masonry required in gathering. See gather.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A blob of molten glass collected on the end of a blowpipe.
- 7 A gathering.
""I'll tell you all about it at the Gather, win or lose.""
Verb
- 1 To collect normally separate things.
"I've been gathering ideas from the people I work with."
- 2 increase or develop wordnet
- 3 To collect normally separate things.; Especially, to harvest food.
"We went to gather some blackberries from the nearby lane."
- 4 increase in amount by collecting or gathering wordnet
- 5 To collect normally separate things.; To accumulate over time, to amass little by little.
"Over the years he'd gathered a considerable collection of mugs."
Show 18 more definitions
- 6 conclude from evidence wordnet
- 7 To collect normally separate things.; To congregate, or assemble. intransitive
"People gathered round as he began to tell his story."
- 8 look for (food) in nature wordnet
- 9 To collect normally separate things.; To grow gradually larger by accretion. intransitive
"Their snow-ball did not gather as it went."
- 10 draw together into folds or puckers wordnet
- 11 To bring parts of a whole closer.
"She gathered the shawl about her as she stepped into the cold."
- 12 draw and bring closer wordnet
- 13 To bring parts of a whole closer.; To add pleats or folds to a piece of cloth, normally to reduce its width.
"A gown should be gathered around the top so that it will remain shaped."
- 14 assemble or get together wordnet
- 15 To bring parts of a whole closer.; To bring stitches closer together.
"Be careful not to stretch or gather your knitting."
- 16 collect in one place wordnet
- 17 To bring parts of a whole closer.; To bring together, or nearer together, in masonry, as for example where the width of a fireplace is rapidly diminished to the width of the flue.
- 18 get people together wordnet
- 19 To bring parts of a whole closer.; To haul in; to take up.
"to gather the slack of a rope"
- 20 To infer or conclude; to know from a different source.
"From his silence, I gathered that things had not gone well."
- 21 To be filled with pus intransitive
"Salt water can help boils to gather and then burst."
- 22 To collect molten glass on the end of a tool.
- 23 To gain; to win.
"He gathers ground upon her in the chase."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Maruyama Park is a place where a lot of people gather."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "gather"?
Common synonyms include: assemble, accumulate, amass, collect, tuck, academic discipline research.
How do you use "gather" in a sentence?
Maruyama Park is a place where a lot of people gather.
How do you pronounce "gather"?
Pronounced /ˈɡæðə/.
Etymology
From Middle English gaderen, from Old English gaderian (“to gather, assemble”), from Proto-West Germanic *gadurōn (“to bring together, unite, gather”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ- (“to unite, assemble, keep”).