collect
Verb:
- To gather or bring together: To accumulate or assemble items, people, or information from various places into one group or location.
- To obtain payment: To call for and receive money that is owed, such as debts, taxes, or rent.
- To regain composure: To calm oneself and concentrate one's thoughts (used reflexively as "to collect oneself").
Adjective:
- Payable by the recipient: Describing a payment method where the receiver pays the charges, as for a phone call or parcel delivery. Often synonymous with "COD" (Cash On Delivery).
Adverb:
- With payment by the recipient: Describing the manner of making a call or sending mail where the receiver pays the charges.
Noun:
- A short prayer: In Christian liturgy, particularly in the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church, a brief prayer that precedes a lesson or reading.
Verb:
- She likes to collect stamps from different countries. (She gathers stamps.)
- The agency will collect the overdue taxes next week. (The agency will obtain payment for the taxes.)
- He took a moment to collect himself before giving the speech. (He took a moment to regain his composure.)
Adjective:
- I received a collect call from my brother. (I received a call where I had to pay the charges.)
Adverb:
- Please call me collect if you need help. (Please call me, and I will pay for the call.)
Noun:
- The priest recited the collect before the scripture reading. (The priest said the short prayer.)
"To collect one's thoughts": To pause and organize one's ideas before speaking or acting.
- She paused to collect her thoughts before answering the difficult question.
"To collect on a debt/bet/promise": To secure the fulfillment of something owed.
- He finally went to collect on the debt his friend owed him.
Collection (n): The act or process of collecting; a group of objects gathered together.
- He has an impressive collection of vintage cars.
Collector (n): A person who collects things, especially as a hobby or for study.
- She is an avid art collector.
Collectible (adj/n): Describing items worth collecting; an item valued by collectors.
- The comic book is a rare collectible.
- Gather: To bring together.
- Assemble: To fit together the parts of; to bring people together.
- Accumulate: To gather or build up a increasing quantity.
- Amass: To collect a large amount of something.
Collect up: To gather things together, especially to tidy or clear an area.
- Could you collect up all the dishes after dinner?
Collect for: To gather money for a specific cause or charity.
- We are collecting for the local food bank this month.
Collect dust: To remain unused for a long time.
- That old piano is just collecting dust in the attic.
Collect your wits: To try to become calm and think clearly after a shock or surprise. (Similar to "collect oneself").
- After the accident, it took him a minute to collect his wits.
- payable by the recipient on delivery
- a collect call
- the letter came collect
- a COD parcel
- make a telephone call or mail a package so that the recipient pays
- call collect
- send a package collect
- a short prayer generally preceding the lesson in the Church of Rome or the Church of England
- gather or collect
- You can get the results on Monday
- She picked up the children at the day care center
- They pick up our trash twice a week
- get or bring together
- accumulate evidence
- assemble or get together
- gather some stones
- pull your thoughts together
- call for and obtain payment of
- we collected over a million dollars in outstanding debts
- he collected the rent
- get or gather together
- I am accumulating evidence for the man's unfaithfulness to his wife
- She is amassing a lot of data for her thesis
- She rolled up a small fortune