To gather means to come together in one place or to collect things from different places. When students gather in the cafeteria for lunch, they're assembling from their various classrooms. When you gather your school supplies before class, you're collecting them from around your desk or backpack.

The word works in many contexts. A teacher might gather her students around for story time. A detective gathers evidence to solve a mystery. Farmers gather crops at harvest time, bringing in vegetables and grain from the fields. During fall, you might gather colorful leaves for an art project.

Gather suggests purposeful bringing together rather than random piling up. When you gather your thoughts before answering a difficult question, you're pulling together scattered ideas into something organized. When storm clouds gather on the horizon, they're massing together in an ominous way.

You might hear someone say they need to gather themselves after surprising news: they're collecting their composure and getting ready to respond calmly. In sewing, gathering means bunching fabric together to create a ruffled effect. The word captures both physical collecting and mental focusing, whether you're gathering berries in a basket or gathering courage to try something new.