collect1
/kəˈlɛkt
/verb [with object]
1Bring or gather together (a number of things): he went round the office collecting old coffee cups...
- They shot at anything and everything, except the clays, which were often collected up unscathed and reused.
- This post collects a number of these political discussions.
- We're collecting emergency numbers from the workers today.
1.1 [no object] Come together and form a group: a small crowd collected at the back door...
- Hollin has collected together a range of individuals and collaborators to provide a concise but comprehensive overview of the principles and premises inherent in this area.
- It defines the word assembly as a company of persons collected together in one place usually for a common purpose.
- Since the particles start with zero energy, this means that by the time they have collected together to form a star or a planet they have negative energy.
Synonyms
come together, get together, gather, assemble, meet, muster, cluster, rally, congregate, convene, converge, flock together
rare foregather
1.2Systematically seek and acquire (items of a particular kind) as a hobby: I’ve started collecting stamps...
- He doesn't have any hobbies - doesn't collect anything or travel anywhere; doesn't read or listen to music.
- Her newest hobby is collecting each of the new Euro coins from each country.
- Mr. G. Sethuraman, an active philatelist who has been collecting stamps since 1974, says this hobby has a high knowledge-gaining potential.
1.3Accumulate over a period of time: collect rainwater to use on the garden...
- To counter the drain on scarce water supplies, rainwater will be collected in underground tanks and a new breed of wildlife-rich village pond.
- At present rain water is being collected in large storage dams and reticulated to the end consumer via a network of pipes, pumps and treatment plant to ensure drinking water quality.
- Rainwater can be collected in plenty during rainy seasons, but we waste it by allowing it to flow into the sea.
2Call for and take away; fetch: the children were collected from school...
- Swinford players will be collected up at the Gateway Hotel, Swinford at 8.15 am.
- Meet your coach, collect the right number of departing guests from their hotels and get them to the airport - then do the same in reverse for the arrivals.
- If you want to be one of the DJ's, you need to arrive at the venue at 7: 00 pm to collect your number (more details to follow).
Synonyms
fetch, go/come to get, go/come and get, call for, go/come for, meet
2.1Call for and obtain (payments) from a number of people: he collected their rent each week...
- Fakhruz Zaman approached Shemon Miah when he called at the Saffron Spice restaurant in Peatmoor on behalf of his father to collect a bill payment from the owner, Swindon Crown Court was told.
- She's moved a few miles away from my patch and asked if I would still collect her payments, because she was used to me calling.
- A few days later he delivers them and collects the payment.
2.2Go somewhere and receive (something) as a right or award: she came to Oxford to collect her honorary degree...
- The 72 year old was in town to collect an honorary ACTRA award.
- Battier's varied gifts as a player make him the favorite to claim all the awards Martin collected this season.
- The 54-year-old actress is speaking to me at the America Film Festival in Deauville, where she is collecting a lifetime achievement award.
2.3Ask for and receive (charitable donations): they were collecting money for the war effort...
- The funeral took place this morning at St Peter's Church in Mill Hill where donations were collected for MacMillan Nurses.
- Thankfully a large sum of money has been collected for the Irish Wheelchair Association.
- A nice website has been established in her memory and a charitable trust is collecting donations to support the kinds of causes for which she gave her life.
Synonyms
raise, appeal for, ask for, ask people to give, solicit, secure, obtain, acquire, gather
3 (collect oneself) Regain control of oneself, typically after a shock: he paused for a moment to take a breath, to collect himself...
- Cougre took the hint and collected herself, regaining her calm.
- Everybody nearly jumped out of their skin as the voice suddenly spat out at us, and it took us a great while to collect ourselves from the shock.
- He was silent for a short while, trying to regain his composure and collect himself.
Synonyms
recover, regain one's composure, pull oneself together, take a hold of oneself, steady oneself
informal get a grip (on oneself), get one's act together, snap out of it
3.1Concentrate (one’s thoughts): she returned to her room to collect her thoughts...
- I was met with great compassion and it was suggested that I go to my room, collect my thoughts and let them know what I wanted to do.
Synonyms
muster, summon (up), gather (together), get together, rally, call into action, marshal, mobilize, screw up
4 archaic Conclude; infer: [with clause]: by all best conjectures, I collect Thou art to be my fatal enemy
5Cause (a horse) to bring its hind legs further forward as it moves: a rider should want to be able to collect a horse when hacking...
- This is an easy way to encourage the horse to collect as he halts which will be a paramount balance skill later on.
- ‘I began learning our pocket going around barrels and how to rate and collect him, and he caught on fast’ says Harmon.
6Australian /NZ informal Collide with: he lost control of the truck and collected two cats
adverb & adjective North American
(With reference to a telephone call) to be paid for by the person receiving it: [as adverb]: I called my mother collect...
- And Mother's Day is the second highest day for collect calls.
- I cannot imagine the mindset of a man who thinks that a sex worker is going to take a collect call from anyone - let alone someone who's in jail.
- Bart must apologize to Australia after he tricks a boy from down under into accepting an expensive collect call.
noun Australian /NZ informal
A winning bet.But on a win basis Lonhro bombed out, she also would not have given you a collect on the quinella, trifecta or exacta....
- You can pick it on jockeys, trainers, form and even a dart at the board at you have just as good a chance as getting a collect.
- While I was away I have had two collects, not big ones, but collects just the same.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French collecter or medieval Latin collectare, from Latin collect- 'gathered together', from the verb colligere, from col- 'together' + legere 'choose or collect'.
This comes from the Latin verb colligere, from col- ‘together’ and legere ‘choose or collect’. The collect meaning ‘prayer’ (Middle English) is from Latin collecta ‘a gathering together’—an obsolete use of collect was as a term for ‘a gathering’ for an act of worship. Recollect (early 16th century) is literally ‘to collect again’. Coil (early 16th century) is less obviously from the Latin. Something coiled up is gathered in a specific way.
Rhymes
collect2
/ˈkɒlɛkt/ /ˈkɒlɪkt/noun
(In church use) a short prayer, especially one assigned to a particular day or season.However, a new type of short full anthem, often a setting of one of the seasonal collects, gained in popularity after about 1800....
- This kind of evangelism is far more persuasive than simply publishing the world's best book of new collects, calls to worship, or Eucharistic prayers.
- The Australian Prayer Book has a somewhat revised version of the collect found in the ASB 1980.
Origin
Middle English: from Old French collecte, from Latin collecta 'gathering', feminine past participle of colligere 'gather together' (see collect1).