1
as in assembly
a body of people come together in one place
the President spoke before the gathering of student leaders
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in meeting
a coming together of a number of persons for a specified purpose
attended a gathering for descendants of people who came to America on the Mayflower
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in accumulation
a mass or quantity that has piled up or that has been gathered over a period of time
a great gathering of dust under the bed
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in brewing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in collecting
to bring together in one body or place
he gathered the leftovers from the table and gave them to the dog let's gather the students and have them line up on the playground before going in from recess
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in harvesting
to catch or collect (a crop or natural resource) for human use
late summer is when we gather the tomatoes and begin canning them for the winter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in converging
to come together into one body or place
a crowd gathered around the street musician ask the faculty to gather in the lounge for the meeting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in deriving
to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information
I gather that, since you are back so early, she didn't want to see you?
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in accumulating
to gradually form into a layer, pile, or mass
the newspapers that had been allowed to gather on the front doorstep told thieves that the family was away on vacation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in gaining
to gradually increase in
the movement gathered force as election day neared
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in summoning
to call into being through the use of one's inner resources or powers
gathered the strength to finish the marathon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gathering
Pin Yen Tan 9 Min Ago, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
One evening, back in his native Virginia, Cherry was feted at a gathering.
—Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Mikala Compton, Austin American Statesman, 6 Feb. 2026
Survivors were gathering their essentials onto bikes, taxis and trucks and heading away from the village to restart life elsewhere.
—Pelumi Salako, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gathering
Noun
Its glow fell upon the select gathering, personally assembled by Soo Hoo — among them, founder of the Vivino wine app, Heini Zachariassen, certified Master of Wine and commentator Ned Goodwin and editor-in-chief of The Wine Advocate, William Kelley.
—Pin Yen Tan 9 Min Ago, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
One evening, back in his native Virginia, Cherry was feted at a gathering.
—Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
The walkout was planned by students and took place during the school day, with participants leaving their classrooms and gathering together on campus.
—Mikala Compton, Austin American Statesman, 6 Feb. 2026
Survivors were gathering their essentials onto bikes, taxis and trucks and heading away from the village to restart life elsewhere.
—Pelumi Salako, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gathering
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gathering
Noun
-
The entire hardware assembly was completed during the day, with AI training performed overnight.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
-
One of the most significant differences between the version shared on Cadillac’s social media channels and the television advertisement was the inclusion of more behind-the-scenes footage of what goes into assembling the car, from design to assembly.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Most people at the meeting, held over Microsoft Teams, expressed excitement at the potential for conservation in an area stretching from Will Rogers State Beach to Torrance, plus 200 yards inland.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2026
-
The commission voted to remove Commissioner Treva Hadden for missing more than three meetings in the past 12 months without providing a reason.—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The results revealed lower leaf damage and lower anthocyanin accumulation when plants were physically touching each other.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Snow squalls can occur with very little warning and can lead to whiteout conditions on the roads, and also drop a quick accumulation of snow that can lead to very slippery conditions.—
Bill Kelly,
CBS News,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But this bet will face its most serious test in the brewing Republican presidential primary.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But if property taxes are eliminated, Cordrey said being able to quickly convert into a city, and start collecting income taxes, would mean residents could keep their services.—
Victoria Moorwood,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
9 Feb. 2026
-
From learning to drive stick shift and collecting vinyl records to playing board games and writing handwritten notes, the shift suggests that even in a digital-first generation, there’s a growing appetite for slowing down—and staying human.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That includes recording audio through your phone’s microphone, harvesting messages, contacts and account details, stealing photos and other files, making calls, even wiping the device.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
They’re each charged with burglary and illegally harvesting a tarpon.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Kevin Hassett, the National Economic Council director who was a finalist to become the next Federal Reserve chair, told CNBC that several factors are converging to keep payroll growth low, at least for the time being.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The paths of two of the most exciting young vocalists in jazz keep converging in interesting places.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Large language models represent the first technology capable of analyzing, contextualizing and deriving insights from this avalanche of information.—
Sahar Hashmi,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Resolve this by walking your own path (literally) and deriving support from people who are capable of caring about you.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
5 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gathering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gathering. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
