collecting

verb

present participle of collect
1
as in containing
to gain emotional or mental control of applicants should collect their thoughts while waiting to be interviewed

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2
as in accumulating
to gradually form into a layer, pile, or mass dust has been collecting under my bed for years

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in compiling
to bring together from several sources into a single volume or list collected the author's early short stories, which were originally published in several obscure sci-fi magazines

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4
as in assembling
to bring together in one body or place she collects antique silverware

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in gathering
to come together into one body or place a crowd collected at the beach as the sun slowly set over the horizon

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 collecting The Hawks are 2-2 through four games, collecting a pair of division wins before losing consecutive games to the Rockets, who’ve remained a difficult matchup over the past three years. — Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 27 Oct. 2026 Every day, trucks from The Action Center travel across the Denver metro, collecting donated food from grocery stores and other partners that might otherwise go to waste. — Kelly Werthmann, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026 Consistent communication after agreeing on a solution shows your interest goes beyond collecting payment. — Mark Berookim, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026 Morning Glory Milking Farm is the tale of a broke postgraduate who takes a job collecting minotaur semen for a pharmaceutical company. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026 The book used an imaginary dialogue between two women to explain the principles of economics, collecting the ideas of the new science together in a way that had never before been attempted. — Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026 However, removal services cannot guarantee that every existing inference will disappear or prevent companies from collecting new information. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026 Americans in general did not want the government collecting unified, know-all records of every citizen. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026 Trust fund depletion would not mean Social Security stops collecting payroll taxes or paying benefits. — Fernanda Tronco, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collecting
  1. containing
  2. accumulating
  3. compiling
  4. assembling
  5. gathering
  6. composing
  7. amassing
  8. converging
Verb
  • Instead, her attackers started ripping her gear off her body – her camera bag, her lenses, her pouch containing her American passport, credit cards, documents and other items.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Meghan said a letter containing allegations against Thomas Markle was sent to the authorities and later shared with her.
    — Victoria Craw, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of containing
Verb
  • The researchers tested approximately 1,300 configurations of the electrical signals used to communicate with the neurons, accumulating more than 4,000 hours of real-time interaction across dozens of biological computing units.
    — Mike McRae October 19, New Atlas, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Archer’s announcement notes that Midnight flew as fast as 131mph during this campaign, accumulating more than 200 flight miles over three days.
    — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of accumulating
Verb
  • Best Iowa Sportsbooks and Betting Apps We have done the work of compiling a list of some of the most popular sports betting apps in Iowa.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is compiling data now, Battle said.
    — Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of compiling
Verb
  • When DeSantis took office and began assembling his team, Florida faced the same cultural pressures as the rest of the country.
    — Kimberly Bird, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Ukraine has earned worldwide recognition for its cutting-edge drone industry, designing and assembling systems that have changed modern warfare.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of assembling
Verb
  • Think of your home as a simulated work environment in which everyday chores — like unloading the dishwasher or gathering ingredients for a meal – are a chance to learn.
    — John Gill, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Judging by the steady lunch crowd gathering inside the new La Fetta space on its second day open, maybe another location was the right decision after all.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of gathering
Verb
  • Gash love composing songs whose intersecting lines set the entire mood of the song—jarring, dreamy, or nostalgic—in the style of art-house sampling.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Lyall pulled out his phone and began composing a message for Claude, the AI app from Anthropic.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of composing
Verb
  • Over time, McCreery developed greater control of his trademark lower range and began cowriting more of his material, grabbing two more chart-topping albums and, after moving to Triple Tigers, amassing six No.
    — Tom Roland, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The Razorbacks' run game lifted them throughout, amassing 187 yards.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of amassing
Verb
  • Police tried to prevent other small groups of protesters from converging on government buildings, Nuñez's office said.
    — SYLVIE CORBET, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Why Screening Is So Important Three forces are converging to push lobular breast cancer into sharper public focus.
    — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of converging

Browse Nearby Words

collectibles
collecting
collection
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Cite this Entry

“Collecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collecting. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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