gather

I UK [ˈɡæðə(r)] / US [ˈɡæðər] verb
Word forms "gather":
present tense I/you/we/they gather he/she/it gathers present participle gathering past tense gathered past participle gathered
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1) [intransitive/transitive] if people gather, or if someone gathers them, they come together in one place to see or do something

A crowd gathered outside the hotel.

Football fans gathered around the TV in the corner of the bar.

She gathered her children and ran for shelter.

There were 60,000 fans gathered in the stadium.

2)

a) [transitive] to look for and find information or documents in different places

Our report is based on information gathered from all parts of the country.

The police have been gathering evidence against him.

I need to gather together our tax documents.

b) to search for and find similar things that you need or want

They live by gathering shellfish and snails.

Bees were gathering pollen from the wild flowers.

3) [transitive] if something gathers force, speed, or strength, its force, speed, or strength increases

The train pulled away slowly, then gathered speed.

4) [transitive] to bring things closer together, for example to protect something or to make it tidy

Gathering her robe around her, Maria ran upstairs.

She gathered her hair into a knot at the back of her head.

5) [transitive] mainly spoken to believe that something is true, although no one has directly told you about it

You're new here, I gather.

From what I can gather she's madly in love with him.

gather (that):

I gather that the storm caused a power failure.

6) [intransitive] if clouds gather, they start to appear and cover part of the sky

7) [transitive, usually passive] to make a lot of small folds in cloth

The dress is gathered at the waist with elastic.

•

gather momentum/pace — to become gradually stronger or more successful

Opposition to the new law is gathering momentum.

gather your strength/courage/energy/wits — to prepare yourself for a difficult situation or action

gather yourself (together) — mainly literary to calm yourself, usually so that you can do something you must do

- gather dust

- gather someone into your arms

Phrasal verbs:

- gather in

- gather up

II UK [ˈɡæðə(r)] / US [ˈɡæðər] noun [countable, often plural]
Word forms "gather":
singular gather plural gathers

a small fold that has been made in cloth, usually sewn in place