ingathering

ingathering — verb

  • ingatheringpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • ingatherings3rd person singular
  • ingatheringing-ing form
  • ingatheringedpast simple

1. to collect ripe crops from the fields at the end of the growing season

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to collect ripe crops from the fields at the end of the growing season

Example

Jabari's family spent the week ingathering ripe corn from their farm before the rains.

ingather + noun phrase (crops for harvest)

The villagers held a feast after they had ingathered the wheat from the hills.

Common collocations
  • ingather the harvest
  • ingather crops
  • ingather grain
  • ingather wheat
  • ingather the corn
Synonyms
  • harvest

    the neutral, everyday word for gathering crops; far more common than ingather

  • bring in

    a phrasal verb used informally for collecting a crop (bring in the hay)

  • reap

    specifically cutting grain with a scythe or machine; narrower in meaning than ingather

Antonyms
  • sow

    to plant seeds, the opposite seasonal stage before harvesting

  • scatter

    to spread things apart rather than gathering them together

Grammar Patterns

ingather + noun phrase (crops, harvest)

Usage Note

Object is always a crop or harvest; this sense is not used for wild plants or non-agricultural collecting. Very formal or literary in tone — in everyday conversation speakers prefer harvest, bring in, or gather in.

Common Mistakes

They ingathered wild berries from the forest.
They gathered wild berries from the forest.
ingather implies cultivated crops being brought in at harvest time, not casual foraging.

2. to bring people or objects together into one place, or for people to assemble as

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveC1
Definition

to bring people or objects together into one place, or for people to assemble as a group

Example

Karim ingathered the scattered camping tools into the trunk of the car before the park ranger locked the campsite gate.

transitive: ingather + object + into a container

Minho ingathered the scattered property records from three municipal departments before the audit began.

transitive: ingather + objects + from [location] before [event]

Common collocations
  • ingather people
  • ingather refugees
  • ingather volunteers
  • ingather supplies
  • ingather at the hall
Synonyms
  • assemble

    the common, neutral word for bringing people or things together; much more frequent than ingather

  • gather

    everyday alternative for collecting objects or people; less formal than ingather

  • round up

    informal; used especially for people or animals that are scattered (round up the children)

Antonyms
  • disperse

    to break up a group and send people in different directions

  • scatter

    to throw or place things in different directions

Grammar Patterns

ingather + noun phrase (people or things)

ingather at [location]

Usage Note

Often used with a location phrase (ingathered at / in / into) to specify where the gathering happens. The transitive sense focuses on someone actively collecting people or objects; the intransitive sense describes people coming together spontaneously.

Common Mistakes

They ingathered quickly when they heard the news.
They assembled quickly when they heard the news.
ingather as an intransitive verb sounds very formal or old-fashioned; assemble is the natural choice for modern English.

Word family

  • ingather
    verbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

While the verb ingather shares its core meaning with assemble, gather, and collect, it stands apart in register and context. Ingather is the most formal and least common of the five; it appears almost exclusively in literary or ceremonial writing. Assemble is the neutral choice for people coming together with a purpose ("assemble the committee"). Gather is the broadest, everyday verb covering both people and objects ("gather the children", "gather information"). Collect implies careful selection or accumulation over time ("collect stamps", "collect donations"). Round up is the only informal option and suggests finding scattered people or animals ("round up the campers before dinner"). In modern English, ingather often feels dated — a writer might use it to evoke a biblical or folkloric tone, while gather or assemble would be the natural choice in ordinary speech.

ingatherassemble ↗gather ↗collect ↗round up ↗

Common collocations

Prepositions

  • ingather into
  • ingather at
  • ingather from

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed in Middle English from the prefix in- (used here as an intensifier) and gather (from Old English gaderian, meaning 'to bring together'), with the suffix -ing added to create a verbal noun. The verb ingather and its -ing form ingathering have been used since the 1500s, especially in agricultural and biblical contexts describing the collection of harvests.

First known use

1557

1557, in the meaning defined at transitive sense