verb / adjective / adverb
collect
kuh-LEKT/kəˈlekt/
To gather things together into one's possession.
She collects colorful shells during her walks along the beach.
Etymology
The pieces describe gathering separate things into one place or group. That same idea supports both deliberately assembling things and their accumulating together over time.
In context
Take the shovel and collect the trash Put the trash in the wheelbarrow
More examples
- The landlord collects rent on the first of each month.
- He takes a deep breath to collect himself before speaking.
- She calls collect so the recipient pays for the call.
Forms
collect · collects · collected · collecting
collection noun — A group of objects gathered and kept together.
collector noun — Someone who gathers and keeps particular objects.
Similar words
- gather
- Emphasizes bringing things together, not necessarily taking possession of them.
- accumulate
- Emphasizes a quantity building up gradually over time.
- amass
- Emphasizes gathering a large quantity, especially wealth or resources.