gather

gather
    n 1: sewing consisting of small folds or puckers made by pulling
         tight a thread in a line of stitching [syn: {gather},
         {gathering}]
    2: the act of gathering something [syn: {gather}, {gathering}]
    v 1: assemble or get together; "gather some stones"; "pull your
         thoughts together" [syn: {gather}, {garner}, {collect},
         {pull together}] [ant: {distribute}, {spread}]
    2: collect in one place; "We assembled in the church basement";
       "Let's gather in the dining room" [syn: {meet}, {gather},
       {assemble}, {forgather}, {foregather}]
    3: collect or gather; "Journals are accumulating in my office";
       "The work keeps piling up" [syn: {accumulate}, {cumulate},
       {conglomerate}, {pile up}, {gather}, {amass}]
    4: conclude from evidence; "I gather you have not done your
       homework"
    5: draw together into folds or puckers [syn: {gather}, {pucker},
       {tuck}]
    6: get people together; "assemble your colleagues"; "get
       together all those who are interested in the project";
       "gather the close family members" [syn: {assemble}, {gather},
       {get together}]
    7: draw and bring closer; "she gathered her shawl around her
       shoulders"
    8: look for (food) in nature; "Our ancestors gathered nuts in
       the Fall"
    9: increase or develop; "the peace movement gained momentum";
       "the car gathers speed" [syn: {gain}, {gather}]
    

Gather \Gath"er\ (g[a^][th]"[~e]r), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
   {Gathered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Gathering}.] [OE. gaderen, AS.
   gaderian, gadrian, fr. gador, geador, together, fr. g[ae]d
   fellowship; akin to E. good, D. gaderen to collect, G. gatte
   husband, MHG. gate, also companion, Goth. gadiliggs a
   sister's son. [root]29. See {Good}, and cf. {Together}.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. To bring together; to collect, as a number of separate
      things, into one place, or into one aggregate body; to
      assemble; to muster; to congregate.
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            And Belgium's capital had gathered them
            Her beauty and her chivalry.          --Byron.
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            When he had gathered all the chief priests and
            scribes of the people together.       --Matt. ii. 4.
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   2. To pick out and bring together from among what is of less
      value; to collect, as a harvest; to harvest; to cull; to
      pick off; to pluck.
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            A rose just gathered from the stalk.  --Dryden.
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            Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
                                                  --Matt. vii.
                                                  16.
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            Gather us from among the heathen.     --Ps. cvi. 47.
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   3. To accumulate by collecting and saving little by little;
      to amass; to gain; to heap up.
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            He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his
            substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity
            the poor.                             --Prov.
                                                  xxviii. 8.
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            To pay the creditor . . . he must gather up money by
            degrees.                              --Locke.
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   4. To bring closely together the parts or particles of; to
      contract; to compress; to bring together in folds or
      plaits, as a garment; also, to draw together, as a piece
      of cloth by a thread; to pucker; to plait; as, to gather a
      ruffle.
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            Gathering his flowing robe, he seemed to stand
            In act to speak, and graceful stretched his hand.
                                                  --Pope.
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   5. To derive, or deduce, as an inference; to collect, as a
      conclusion, from circumstances that suggest, or arguments
      that prove; to infer; to conclude.
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            Let me say no more!
            Gather the sequel by that went before. --Shak.
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   6. To gain; to win. [Obs.]
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            He gathers ground upon her in the chase. --Dryden.
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   7. (Arch.) To bring together, or nearer together, in masonry,
      as where the width of a fireplace is rapidly diminished to
      the width of the flue, or the like.
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   8. (Naut.) To haul in; to take up; as, to gather the slack of
      a rope.
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   {To be gathered to one's people} or {To be gathered to one's
   fathers} to die. --Gen. xxv. 8.

   {To gather breath}, to recover normal breathing after being
      out of breath; to get one's breath; to rest. --Spenser.

   {To gather one's self together}, to collect and dispose one's
      powers for a great effort, as a beast crouches preparatory
      to a leap.

   {To gather way} (Naut.), to begin to move; to move with
      increasing speed.
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Gather \Gath"er\, v. i.
   1. To come together; to collect; to unite; to become
      assembled; to congregate.
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            When small humors gather to a gout.   --Pope.
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            Tears from the depth of some divine despair
            Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes.
                                                  --Tennyson.
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   2. To grow larger by accretion; to increase.
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            Their snowball did not gather as it went. --Bacon.
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   3. To concentrate; to come to a head, as a sore, and generate
      pus; as, a boil has gathered.
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   4. To collect or bring things together.
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            Thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and
            gather where I have not strewed.      --Matt. xxv.
                                                  26.
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Gather \Gath"er\, n.
   1. A plait or fold in cloth, made by drawing a thread through
      it; a pucker.
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   2. (Carriage Making) The inclination forward of the axle
      journals to keep the wheels from working outward.
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   3. (Arch.) The soffit or under surface of the masonry
      required in gathering. See {Gather}, v. t., 7.
      [1913 Webster]
    

350 Moby Thesaurus words for "gather":
      accouple, accumulate, affiliate, agglomerate, agglutinate,
      aggregate, aggroup, ally, amass, approach, articulate, assemble,
      associate, assume, await, band, batch, be afraid, be imminent,
      be in store, believe, blast, blossom, blow, blow a hurricane,
      blow great guns, blow over, blow up, bluster, bond, bracket,
      breeze, breeze up, brew, bridge, bridge over, bring in,
      bring together, build, bulk, bunch, bunch together, bunch up,
      burgeon, catch, cement, chain, choose, clap together, clot, clump,
      cluster, collect, colligate, collocate, combine, come on,
      come together, come up, compare, compile, comprise, concatenate,
      conceive, conclude, confront, conglobulate, conglomerate,
      congregate, congress, conjoin, conjugate, connect, consider,
      constrict, contract, convene, converge, copulate, corral, couple,
      cover, crease, creasing, crimp, crisp, crop, crop herbs, crowd,
      cull, cumulate, cut, daresay, date, deduce, deduct, deem, deepen,
      derive, develop, dig, dig up, divine, dog-ear, double, double over,
      doubling, drag up, draw, draw a conclusion, draw an inference,
      draw near, draw nigh, draw on, draw together, draw up, dream,
      dredge, dredge up, drive together, duplicature, embrace, encompass,
      encounter, enfold, enlarge, expand, expect, extend, extract, face,
      fancy, fathom, feel, fetch, find, fish up, flection, flexure,
      flock together, flounce, flourish, flow together, flute, fold,
      fold over, follow, forgather, forthcome, freshen, frill, fuse,
      gang around, gang up, garner, gather around, gather in,
      gather together, gather up, germinate, get in, get together, glean,
      glue, grabble, grant, grasp, group, grow, grow up, grub, grub up,
      hang over, harvest, haul up, hay, heap, heap up, hear, heighten,
      herd together, hive, horde, hover, huddle, huff, hypertrophy,
      imagine, impend, include, increase, induce, infer, infold,
      intensify, interfold, join, judge, juxtapose, knot, lap over,
      lapel, lappet, lay together, league, learn, let, let be, lie over,
      link, loom, lower, lump together, make, make out, make up, marry,
      marshal, mass, match, mature, meet, menace, merge, mill, mobilize,
      mow, mushroom, muster, near, nut, opine, outgrow, overdevelop,
      overgrow, overhang, overtop, pair, partner, pick, pick up,
      piece together, pile, pile up, pipe up, plait, plat, pleat, plica,
      plicate, plication, plicature, pluck, pluck up, ply, prefigure,
      presume, presuppose, presurmise, procreate, provisionally accept,
      pucker, puff, pull together, pullulate, purse, put together, quill,
      rage, raise, rake up, rally, rally around, reap, reap and carry,
      reason, reason that, reckon, rendezvous, reproduce, repute, rise,
      roll into one, round up, ruche, ruching, ruff, ruffle, say,
      scare up, scrape together, scrape up, seethe, select, set in,
      shirr, shoot up, solder, span, splice, spring up, sprout,
      sprout up, squall, stack, stick together, stock, stockpile, storm,
      stream, suppose, surge, surmise, suspect, swarm, take,
      take as proved, take for, take for granted, take in, take it,
      take to be, take up, tape, think, threaten, thrive, throng, tie,
      tower, troop, tuck, turn out, turn over, twill, understand, unify,
      unite, upshoot, upspear, upspring, upsprout, vegetate, waft, wax,
      weld, whiff, whiffle, whip in, yoke