collect
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to gather together; assemble.
The professor collected the students' exams.
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to accumulate; make a collection of.
to collect stamps.
- Antonyms:
- scatter, distribute
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to receive or compel payment of.
to collect a bill.
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to regain control of (oneself or one's thoughts, faculties, composure, or the like).
At the news of her promotion, she took a few minutes to collect herself.
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to call for and take with one: They collected their mail.
He drove off to collect his guests.
They collected their mail.
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Manège. to bring (a horse) into a collected attitude.
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Archaic. to infer.
verb (used without object)
-
to gather together; assemble.
The students collected in the assembly hall.
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to accumulate.
Rainwater collected in the barrel.
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to receive payment (often followed byon ).
He collected on the damage to his house.
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to gather or bring together books, stamps, coins, etc., usually as a hobby.
He's been collecting for years.
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Manège. (of a horse) to come into a collected attitude.
adjective
noun
verb
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to gather together or be gathered together
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to accumulate (stamps, books, etc) as a hobby or for study
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(tr) to call for or receive payment of (taxes, dues, etc)
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(tr) to regain control of (oneself, one's emotions, etc) as after a shock or surprise
he collected his wits
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(tr) to fetch; pick up
collect your own post
he collected the children after school
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slang to receive large sums of money, as from an investment
he really collected when the will was read
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informal (tr) to collide with; be hit by
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the US term for cash on delivery
adverb
noun
noun
Synonym Usage
See gather.
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have collectedperfect
-
has collectedperfect 3rd person singular
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are collectingprogressive
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has been collectingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is collectingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been collectingperfect progressive
-
am collectingprogressive 1st person singular
-
collectssingular 3rd person
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collectingparticiple
Past
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had collectedperfect
-
was collectingprogressive singular
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were collectingprogressive plural
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had been collectingperfect progressive
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collectedsimple
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collectedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of collect1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin collēctus (past participle of colligere “to collect”), equivalent to col- “with, together” + leg- (stem of legere “to gather”) + -tus past participle suffix; see col- 1
Origin of collect2
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English collecte, from Old French collecte, colete, and Medieval Latin collecta, short for ōrātiō ad collēctam “prayer at collection”; see origin at collect 1
Explanation
The verb collect describes gathering or bringing something together. Charity organizations often collect warm coats for people in need. Other people who want to help those in need seek monetary donations. If you volunteer for a charity, you may collect on behalf of the charity — meaning you get donations. Collect can also refer to getting payment for money that is owed. If you owe money to someone, eventually he'll find you and say, "I'm here to collect."
Vocabulary lists containing collect
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme
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"A Natural Balance" and "In My Dreams"
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
An ordinance passed in 1968 lets the school board collect a 1% sales tax to fund teacher bonuses.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
The team believes transfer learning could become an important tool for upcoming cosmological surveys, which are expected to collect unprecedented amounts of high-precision data about the universe in the years ahead.
From Science Daily • Jun. 11, 2026
The Ministry of Justice does not collect statistics on the immigration status of those convicted of crimes, but it does collect data on nationality.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
China may also hope to "collect intelligence for the purpose of monitoring trends in pro-Russian and pro-Chinese human networks within the North Korean military", he added.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
“Nothing wrong with a curious child, chile. If you must know, Miss Nosey, there’s some rich Remarkables out here who like to collect haints. Don’t ask me what they do with ’em.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
