Convene vs. Gather — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Urooj Arif — Updated on May 2, 2024
Convene refers to formally assembling for a specific purpose, often in an official capacity, while gather can imply a more informal coming together of people or collecting of items.
Difference Between Convene and Gather
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Convene is typically used to describe the action of calling people together for a meeting or an assembly, often with a formal or official tone. Whereas gather can refer to assembling groups of people or things, but with a broader and often informal connotation.
To convene often implies a structured and purpose-driven meeting, such as a committee, council, or conference that has a specific agenda. On the other hand, to gather might simply mean the act of collecting or bringing people together, without any formal agenda.
Convening is frequently associated with official contexts where a leader or an organization calls a meeting. In contrast, gathering is used more broadly and can include social events, informal meet-ups, or even the act of collecting objects.
In legislative or corporate environments, the term "convene" is often used to signify the official beginning of proceedings. Conversely, "gather" is more likely used when referring to people coming together socially or collecting things like data or materials.
The formal nature of convene means it is often used in written or planned contexts, such as legal, governmental, or corporate documents. Whereas gather can be used more spontaneously and in a wider range of everyday situations.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
To come together formally
To come together informally
Context
Official, formal
Casual, informal
Usage
Meetings, conferences
Social events, collecting
Connotation
Structured and agenda-driven
Broad and versatile
Typical Settings
Corporate, legislative
Personal, community
Compare with Definitions
Convene
To come together formally.
The assembly convened in the conference room.
Gather
To come together as a group.
The team gathered in the locker room.
Convene
To initiate a session of a group.
The president convened the panel.
Gather
To bring people together.
We plan to gather for a family reunion.
Convene
To gather together officially.
The council convened to vote on the new policy.
Gather
To assemble informally.
Friends gather at the café every Sunday.
Convene
To assemble for official purposes.
The committee convened at noon.
Gather
To accumulate.
He gathered information for his report.
Convene
To call together for a formal meeting.
The board will convene next week to discuss the merger.
Gather
To collect items.
She gathered shells on the beach.
Convene
Come or bring together for a meeting or activity; assemble
The committee had convened for its final plenary session
He had convened a secret meeting of military personnel
Gather
Come together; assemble or accumulate
As soon as a crowd gathered, the police came
Convene
To come together usually for an official or public purpose; assemble formally.
Gather
Bring together and take in from scattered places or sources
Information that we have gathered about people
Convene
To cause to come together formally; convoke
Convene a special session of Congress.
Gather
Increase in (speed, force, etc.)
The destroyer gathered speed
Convene
To summon to appear, as before a tribunal.
Gather
Infer; understand
I gathered that they were old friends
Convene
(intransitive) To come together; to meet; to unite.
Gather
Summon up (a mental or physical attribute) for a purpose
She lay gathering her thoughts together
He gathered himself for a tremendous leap
Convene
(intransitive) To come together, as in one body or for a public purpose; to meet; to assemble.
Gather
Draw and hold together (fabric or a part of a garment) by running thread through it
The front is gathered at the waist
Convene
(transitive) To cause to assemble; to call together; to convoke.
Gather
A part of a garment that is gathered.
Convene
(transitive) To summon judicially to meet or appear.
Gather
To collect from different places; assemble
Gather the pieces of a puzzle.
Gather information.
Convene
To make a convention; to declare a rule by convention.
To forestall any problems, we convened on the rule that all the database records would avoid containing certain literal strings.
Gather
To cause to come together; convene
The teacher gathered the students around the exhibit.
Convene
To come together; to meet; to unite.
In shortsighted men . . . the rays converge and convene in the eyes before they come at the bottom.
Gather
To draw (something or someone) closer to oneself
Gathered the shawl about my shoulders.
Gathered the child in her arms.
Convene
To come together, as in one body or for a public purpose; to meet; to assemble.
The Parliament of Scotland now convened.
Faint, underneath, the household fowls convene.
Gather
To draw into small folds or puckers, as by pulling a thread through cloth.
Convene
To cause to assemble; to call together; to convoke.
And now the almighty father of the godsConvenes a council in the blest abodes.
Gather
To contract and wrinkle (the brow).
Convene
To summon judicially to meet or appear.
By the papal canon law, clerks . . . can not be convened before any but an ecclesiastical judge.
Gather
To harvest or pick
Gather crops.
Gather mushrooms.
Convene
Meet formally;
The council convened last week
Gather
To conclude or infer, as from evidence
I gather a decision has not been reached.
Convene
Call together;
The students were convened in the auditorium
Gather
To summon up; muster
Gathered up his courage.
Gather
To accumulate (something) gradually; amass
The top of the bookshelf gathered dust.
Gather
To attract or be the center of attraction for
The jugglers gathered a large crowd.
Gather
To gain by a process of gradual increase
Gather speed.
Gather
To pick up or collect (molten glass) using a tool in glassblowing.
Gather
To come together in a group; assemble
A crowd gathered in the lobby.
Gather
To accumulate
Dark clouds are gathering.
Gather
To grow or increase by degrees
The truck's speed gathered on the downslope.
Gather
To come to a head, as a boil; fester.
Gather
To forage for wild foodstuffs.
Gather
The act or an instance of gathering.
Gather
A small fold or pucker made by gathering cloth.
Gather
A mass of molten glass collected on the end of a blowpipe or other glassblowing tool.
Gather
To collect; normally separate things.
I've been gathering ideas from the people I work with.
She bent down to gather the reluctant cat from beneath the chair.
Gather
Especially, to harvest food.
We went to gather some blackberries from the nearby lane.
Gather
To accumulate over time, to amass little by little.
Over the years he'd gathered a considerable collection of mugs.
Gather
(intransitive) To congregate, or assemble.
People gathered round as he began to tell his story.
Gather
(intransitive) To grow gradually larger by accretion.
Gather
To bring parts of a whole closer.
She gathered the shawl about her as she stepped into the cold.
Gather
(sewing) To add pleats or folds to a piece of cloth, normally to reduce its width.
A gown should be gathered around the top so that it will remain shaped.
Gather
(knitting) To bring stitches closer together.
Be careful not to stretch or gather your knitting.
If you want to emphasise the shape, it is possible to gather the waistline.
Gather
(architecture) To bring together, or nearer together, in masonry, as for example where the width of a fireplace is rapidly diminished to the width of the flue.
Gather
(nautical) To haul in; to take up.
To gather the slack of a rope
Gather
To infer or conclude; to know from a different source.
From his silence, I gathered that things had not gone well.
I gather from Aunty May that you had a good day at the match.
Gather
To be filled with pus
Salt water can help boils to gather and then burst.
Gather
(glassblowing) To collect molten glass on the end of a tool.
Gather
To gain; to win.
Gather
A plait or fold in cloth, made by drawing a thread through it; a pucker.
Gather
The inclination forward of the axle journals to keep the wheels from working outward.
Gather
The soffit or under surface of the masonry required in gathering. See gather (transitive verb).
Gather
(glassblowing) A blob of molten glass collected on the end of a blowpipe.
Gather
A gathering.
Gather
To bring together; to collect, as a number of separate things, into one place, or into one aggregate body; to assemble; to muster; to congregate.
And Belgium's capital had gathered themHer beauty and her chivalry.
When he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together.
Gather
To pick out and bring together from among what is of less value; to collect, as a harvest; to harvest; to cull; to pick off; to pluck.
A rose just gathered from the stalk.
Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Gather us from among the heathen.
Gather
To accumulate by collecting and saving little by little; to amass; to gain; to heap up.
He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.
To pay the creditor . . . he must gather up money by degrees.
Gather
To bring closely together the parts or particles of; to contract; to compress; to bring together in folds or plaits, as a garment; also, to draw together, as a piece of cloth by a thread; to pucker; to plait; as, to gather a ruffle.
Gathering his flowing robe, he seemed to standIn act to speak, and graceful stretched his hand.
Gather
To derive, or deduce, as an inference; to collect, as a conclusion, from circumstances that suggest, or arguments that prove; to infer; to conclude.
Let me say no more!Gather the sequel by that went before.
Gather
To gain; to win.
He gathers ground upon her in the chase.
Gather
To bring together, or nearer together, in masonry, as where the width of a fireplace is rapidly diminished to the width of the flue, or the like.
Gather
To haul in; to take up; as, to gather the slack of a rope.
Gather
To come together; to collect; to unite; to become assembled; to congregate.
When small humors gather to a gout.
Tears from the depth of some divine despairRise in the heart, and gather to the eyes.
Gather
To grow larger by accretion; to increase.
Their snowball did not gather as it went.
Gather
To concentrate; to come to a head, as a sore, and generate pus; as, a boil has gathered.
Gather
To collect or bring things together.
Thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strewed.
Gather
A plait or fold in cloth, made by drawing a thread through it; a pucker.
Gather
The inclination forward of the axle journals to keep the wheels from working outward.
Gather
Sewing consisting of small folds or puckers made by pulling tight a thread in a line of stitching
Gather
The act of gathering something
Gather
Assemble or get together;
Gather some stones
Pull your thoughts together
Gather
Collect in one place;
We assembled in the church basement
Let's gather in the dining room
Gather
Collect or gather;
Journals are accumulating in my office
The work keeps piling up
Gather
Conclude from evidence;
I gather you have not done your homework
Gather
Draw fabric together and sew it tightly
Gather
Get people together;
Assemble your colleagues
Get together all those who are interested in the project
Gather the close family members
Gather
Look for (food) in nature;
Our ancestors gathered nuts in the Fall
Common Curiosities
What is an example of gathering?
An example of gathering is friends coming together for a weekend barbecue.
What is an example of convening?
An example of convening is when a CEO calls a strategic meeting of all department heads.
How does one gather feedback?
One gathers feedback by collecting opinions, comments, and suggestions from various sources.
What does it mean to convene a meeting?
To convene a meeting means to call it to order or to assemble participants for official purposes.
What does it mean to gather at a place?
To gather at a place means to come together informally, typically for social interaction or a casual purpose.
Can "convene" and "gather" be used interchangeably?
While sometimes interchangeable, "convene" is better suited for formal or official contexts, and "gather" is more for informal or broad use.
What types of events can be convened?
Events like conferences, seminars, legislative sessions, and official meetings can be convened.
What can be gathered apart from people?
Data, information, resources, or materials can be gathered.
Is a convened group always large?
No, a convened group can be any size, depending on the context and purpose of the meeting.
How do organizations use the term "convene"?
Organizations use "convene" to describe the formal assembly of members for meetings or official actions.
Who can convene a meeting?
Typically, someone in a position of authority, like a manager or a chairperson, can convene a meeting.
What settings are inappropriate for using "convene"?
Casual or non-formal settings are typically inappropriate for using "convene."
What settings are ideal for using "gather"?
Social, casual, or informal settings are ideal for using "gather."
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
