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Meaning & use

gathering

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈɡæðərɪŋ/
US/ˈɡæðərɪŋ/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A meeting or coming together of people for a shared purpose or occasion.

    Grammar: Countable: a gathering; several gatherings. Often used with of: a gathering of friends.

    Patterns

    • a gathering of people
    • a family gathering
    • a social gathering
    • hold a gathering

    We're having a small family gathering to celebrate my grandmother's birthday.

    The park was full of gatherings of students enjoying the spring weather.

    A quiet gathering of neighbors discussed the new road plan.

  2. noununcountable

    The act of collecting things together over time.

    Grammar: Uncountable when it means the process: the gathering of information.

    Patterns

    • the gathering of something
    • information gathering

    The gathering of evidence took several months.

    Information gathering is the first step in any research project.

Word forms

pluralgatherings

Common combinations

a social gathering
A social gathering was held in the community hall.
a family gathering
The holidays always include a big family gathering.
a gathering of friends
It was just a small gathering of friends, not a formal party.
hold a gathering
The club holds a gathering every first Friday.

Synonyms and how they differ

meeting
More formal and often for a specific purpose such as business; gathering is broader and can be purely social.
assembly
A large, organized group, often for a formal or official reason; gathering is less formal and can be small.
get-together
Informal and friendly, usually a small social event; gathering works in both formal and informal contexts.

Opposites

dispersal

Word family

gather verb
To come together or collect things.
gatherer noun
A person who collects things, especially food, as in hunter-gatherer.

Commonly confused: gathering or get-together?

gathering vs get-together

Get-together is informal and usually small; gathering is more neutral and can describe larger or more formal events.

Practice

Choose the best word to complete the sentence: The community center hosts a monthly ______ for local artists to share their work.

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