collect1

verb

• 1bring or gather together (a number of things):he went round the office collecting old coffee cups
• [no object] come together and form a group:a small crowd collected at the back door
• systematically seek and acquire (items of a particular kind) as a hobby:I’ve started collecting stamps
• accumulate over a period of time:collect rainwater to use on the garden

• 2call for and take away; fetch:the children were collected from school
• call for and obtain (payments) from a number of people:he collected their rent each week
• go somewhere and receive (something) as a right or award:she came to Oxford to collect her honorary degree
• ask for and receive (charitable donations):they were collecting money for the war effort

• 3 (collect oneself) regain control of oneself, typically after a shock: he paused for a moment to take a breath, to collect himself
• concentrate (one’s thoughts): she returned to her room to collect her thoughts

• 4 archaic conclude; infer: [with clause]:by all best conjectures, I collect Thou art to be my fatal enemy

• 5cause (a horse) to bring its hind legs further forward as it moves: a rider should want to be able to collect a horse when hacking

• 6Australian/NZ informal collide with:he lost control of the truck and collected two cats

adverb & adjective

• (with reference to a telephone call) to be paid for by the person receiving it: [as adverb]:I called my mother collect

noun

• a winning bet.