How to Use collect in a Sentence

collect

1 of 2 noun
  • Beads of blood collect at the base of two fingers.
    — Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Most apps on your phone collect info to learn more about you.
    — Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 11 Aug. 2022
  • As a result, blood collects and forms a pool around the valves, causing swelling.
    — Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 11 May 2023
  • Pay close attention to seams, edges and crevices where dust mites and debris collect.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 11 Apr. 2026
  • Dust and moisture collect at the floor line and can contribute to odors that seem to come from nowhere.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026
  • The sun streams so fiercely on Lizzo’s face that beads of sweat collect on her upper lip.
    — Allison P. Davis, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Dust and allergens collect on the frame and surrounding area too.
    — Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
  • In this condition, plaque collects in the arteries and can lead to heart disease.
    — Discover Magazine, 30 June 2023
  • So what has this campaign done over the past seven months besides collect signatures?
    — Jena McGregor, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2021
  • Try to avoid letting water collect in flower pots, buckets, tarps and children’s toys.
    — Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Volunteers with Clean Vibes collect and dispose of waste.
    — Kirby Adams, Louisville Courier Journal, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Condensation and mist collect on the fabric of your backpack as the weather changes.
    — Matt Jancer, Wired, 25 Feb. 2021
  • Dust bunnies and debris collect in corners over time, hidden behind shoes and storage bins.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2026
  • In Texas, a couple collect dresses and carefully set them aside, waiting for the child who will wear them.
    — Rozina Ali, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2022
  • There are other collect-at-home kits, but this is the first authorized for sale over-the-counter at stores or online, the agency said.
    — NBC News, 10 Dec. 2020
  • The stickers come in packs that contain seven to eight stickers with different images to trade and collect.
    — Julianna Mejia, Kansas City Star, 15 June 2026
  • Be careful not to completely block the drainage hole of your planter, which causes stagnant water collect in the bottom.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Scientists monitoring a river collect data and then have a choice about whether to act on their findings.
    — Dan Samorodnitsky, Quanta Magazine, 11 Aug. 2025
  • The current cost of an interstate call is 21 cents a minute for debit or prepaid calls, and 25 cents a minute for collect calls.
    — NBC News, 31 Dec. 2019
  • The change comes after growing scrutiny of the amount of data that tech companies such as Google collect and retain.
    — NBC News, 26 May 2020
  • Second, there are misconceptions about the type of data that TikTok collects.
    — Ana Faguy, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2023
  • Divots in the dome’s surface collect rainwater to create vernal pools, which are home to fairy shrimp, tiny translucent freshwater crustaceans.
    — Outside Online, 17 June 2021
  • The one-eighth turn of the bottle by hand daily, slowly inclining the bottle each time until all the sediment collects, can take up to 30 days.
    — Melissa Mora Hidalgo, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2023
  • Every app that runs on our phone collects and stores data, and in the case of arrest, all of that information could become accessible to law enforcement.
    — Erin Corbett, refinery29.com, 5 June 2020
  • Particles move through that opening and collect inside the mold, gradually forming a solid structure.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Also, many products and services are offered free to consumers, who in a sense pay with the valuable personal data companies such as Google collect.
    — Brent Kendall and Rob Copeland, WSJ, 20 Oct. 2020
  • The larvae that Bruning and Idalski collect are then sent for genetic sequencing.
    — Andrew Montequin, jsonline.com, 8 Aug. 2025
  • Our blood helps nourish developing eggs, and our objects and architecture collect standing water, giving the insects a perfect spot in which to breed their young.
    — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 18 Aug. 2022
  • Other ways of helping the cause include hosting either a diaper drop-off barrel or diaper drive to help the diaper bank collect donations.
    — Corey Schmidt, Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 2022
  • Republicans were particularly distressed with provisions of the bill that expand who is allowed collect and hand in ballots.
    — CBS News, 3 Aug. 2020

collect

2 of 2 verb
  • I took a minute to collect my thoughts.
  • He collected stories from all over the world.
  • We collected our baggage from the baggage claim at the airport.
  • I left my suit at the cleaners and I have to collect it today.
  • We collected soil samples from several areas on the site.
  • He has an impressive stamp collection, though he has been collecting for only a few years.
  • She enjoys collecting antique teapots.
  • They collected information about the community.
  • They hope to collect over 1,000 signatures on the petition.
  • Baseball caps can collect stains and smells over time.
    — Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 12 June 2026
  • One of his quirks is collecting cologne.
    — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
  • This is an effective way to collect dust or pet hair around the home.
    — Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 20 Jan. 2026
  • Once the flowers have dried, the seeds are ready to be collected.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Sep. 2025
  • That means the government collects less and less with the gas tax.
    — Camila Domonoske, NPR, 28 May 2026
  • Trump has vowed to collect tariffs through other means.
    — Michelle Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
  • And those are the people starting to collect.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
  • The end result will be a space that feels collected over time, rather than stuck in time.
    — Tessa Cooper, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Oct. 2025
  • The fat collects in the pan and all sides of your bacon strips will evenly cook to a crisp.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 26 Jan. 2026
  • The group collects books and takes them to classrooms like this one for students to take home.
    — Chris Schulz, NPR, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Over winter, windows collect dirt, salt, dust and residue from storms.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
  • She was also charged with collecting bribes.
    — Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
  • Avoid planting in heavy clay soil or areas where water tends to collect.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
  • There had been no rape kit collected that night or in the days following.
    — Kansas City Star, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Physics collects the difference on the floor.
    — Robert J. Szczerba, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
  • The whole semester, just one parent had to come collect a phone.
    — Angela Andaloro, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • All human waste is collected in barrels and sent back frozen.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 May 2026
  • Lovelle knew her dad had been collecting things since her parents' divorce.
    — Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 28 May 2026
  • Plus, many cleaner heads are designed to get right up against baseboards to collect dust.
    — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Then wipe down your baseboards, doors and handles, which collect grime all winter long.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Game play involves collecting runs and three-of-a-kind sets of cards, known as waddles.
    — Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 May 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'collect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: