Gather vs. Group — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on April 21, 2024
Gather involves bringing together from various sources, often for a specific purpose, while a group refers to a number of people or items assembled together, typically sharing common characteristics.
Difference Between Gather and Group
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Gather is a verb that describes the action of collecting or bringing together things from different places, focusing on the process of accumulation. Whereas, group can function both as a verb and a noun, referring to the formation of a collection of entities that often share similar attributes or purposes.
Gather often implies an active effort to bring together disparate elements, such as information, objects, or individuals, into a single location or into a cohesive whole. On the other hand, when used as a verb, group suggests organizing or classifying items or individuals into categories or clusters based on common traits.
When used as a noun, gather doesn't exist in standard English usage, highlighting its role solely as a verb. In contrast, group as a noun represents an established set of people or things, such as a musical group or a group of islands, suggesting a static assembly.
The term gather can also indicate a gradual process of accumulation, where items or data are slowly brought together over time. Meanwhile, group, especially as a noun, typically denotes a pre-existing or quickly formed collection where the focus is on the state of being together rather than the act of gathering.
In social contexts, gather often relates to people coming together for a purpose, such as a meeting or social event, stressing the action and intent. Conversely, group refers to people who are seen as a collective due to characteristics, interests, or other unifying factors, emphasizing the structured nature of their association.
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Comparison Chart
Part of Speech
Verb
Noun/Verb
Action
Act of collecting or assembling
Act of organizing; also, a collection
Usage
Involves effort and process in collection
Describes classification or the collected set
Context
Can be physical or abstract (e.g., gathering information)
Often used in physical and social contexts
Implied Time
Process can be gradual
Instant or defined by existing as a set
Compare with Definitions
Gather
To bring together or assemble from various places or sources.
She gathered the necessary documents for the meeting.
Group
A number of people or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
A group of students were discussing the project.
Gather
To harvest or pick (crops).
They gathered apples in the autumn.
Group
A commercial or industrial collection of companies.
The software group released a new product.
Gather
To collect into one place or group.
We gathered around the campfire to tell stories.
Group
To form a cluster or collection.
The tourists grouped together for the photo.
Gather
To draw parts of a whole together.
She gathered the edges of the cloth and sewed them.
Group
A set forming a class or cluster.
The control group in the experiment received a placebo.
Gather
To accumulate gradually.
He gathered experience over many years.
Group
To place into categories based on common traits.
The librarian grouped the books by genre.
Gather
Come together; assemble or accumulate
As soon as a crowd gathered, the police came
Group
An assemblage of persons or objects gathered or located together; an aggregation
A group of dinner guests.
A group of buildings near the road.
Gather
Bring together and take in from scattered places or sources
Information that we have gathered about people
Group
A set of two or more figures that make up a unit or design, as in sculpture.
Gather
Increase in (speed, force, etc.)
The destroyer gathered speed
Group
A number of individuals or things considered or classed together because of similarities
A small group of supporters across the country.
Gather
Infer; understand
I gathered that they were old friends
Group
(Linguistics) A category of related languages that is less inclusive than a family.
Gather
Summon up (a mental or physical attribute) for a purpose
She lay gathering her thoughts together
He gathered himself for a tremendous leap
Group
A military unit consisting of two or more battalions and a headquarters.
Gather
Draw and hold together (fabric or a part of a garment) by running thread through it
The front is gathered at the waist
Group
A unit of two or more squadrons in the US Air Force, smaller than a wing.
Gather
A part of a garment that is gathered.
Group
Two or more atoms behaving or regarded as behaving as a single chemical unit.
Gather
To collect from different places; assemble
Gather the pieces of a puzzle.
Gather information.
Group
A column in the periodic table of the elements.
Gather
To cause to come together; convene
The teacher gathered the students around the exhibit.
Group
(Geology) A stratigraphic unit, especially a unit consisting of two or more formations deposited during a single geologic era.
Gather
To draw (something or someone) closer to oneself
Gathered the shawl about my shoulders.
Gathered the child in her arms.
Group
(Mathematics) A set, together with a binary associative operation, such that the set is closed under the operation, the set contains an identity element for the operation, and each element of the set has an inverse element with respect to the operation. The integers form a group under the operation of ordinary addition.
Gather
To draw into small folds or puckers, as by pulling a thread through cloth.
Group
Of, relating to, constituting, or being a member of a group
A group discussion.
A group effort.
Gather
To contract and wrinkle (the brow).
Group
To place or arrange in a group
Grouped the children according to height.
Gather
To harvest or pick
Gather crops.
Gather mushrooms.
Group
To belong to or form a group
The soldiers began to group on the hillside.
Gather
To conclude or infer, as from evidence
I gather a decision has not been reached.
Group
A number of things or persons being in some relation to one another.
There is a group of houses behind the hill;
He left town to join a Communist group
A group of people gathered in front of the Parliament to demonstrate against the Prime Minister's proposals.
Gather
To summon up; muster
Gathered up his courage.
Group
(group theory) A set with an associative binary operation, under which there exists an identity element, and such that each element has an inverse.
Gather
To accumulate (something) gradually; amass
The top of the bookshelf gathered dust.
Group
An effective divisor on a curve.
Gather
To attract or be the center of attraction for
The jugglers gathered a large crowd.
Group
A (usually small) group of people who perform music together.
Did you see the new jazz group?
Gather
To gain by a process of gradual increase
Gather speed.
Group
(astronomy) A small number (up to about fifty) of galaxies that are near each other.
Gather
To pick up or collect (molten glass) using a tool in glassblowing.
Group
(chemistry) A column in the periodic table of chemical elements.
Gather
To come together in a group; assemble
A crowd gathered in the lobby.
Group
(chemistry) A functional group.
Nitro is an electron-withdrawing group.
Gather
To accumulate
Dark clouds are gathering.
Group
(sociology) A subset of a culture or of a society.
Gather
To grow or increase by degrees
The truck's speed gathered on the downslope.
Group
(military) An air force formation.
Gather
To come to a head, as a boil; fester.
Group
(geology) A collection of formations or rock strata.
Gather
To forage for wild foodstuffs.
Group
(computing) A number of users with the same rights with respect to accession, modification, and execution of files, computers and peripherals.
Gather
The act or an instance of gathering.
Group
An element of an espresso machine from which hot water pours into the portafilter.
Gather
A small fold or pucker made by gathering cloth.
Group
(music) A number of eighth, sixteenth, etc., notes joined at the stems; sometimes rather indefinitely applied to any ornament made up of a few short notes.
Gather
A mass of molten glass collected on the end of a blowpipe or other glassblowing tool.
Group
(sports) A set of teams playing each other in the same division, while not during the same period playing any teams that belong to other sets in the division.
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.
Group
(business) A commercial organization.
Gather
Especially, to harvest food.
We went to gather some blackberries from the nearby lane.
Group
(transitive) To put together to form a group.
Group the dogs by hair colour
Gather
To accumulate over time, to amass little by little.
Over the years he'd gathered a considerable collection of mugs.
Group
(intransitive) To come together to form a group.
Gather
(intransitive) To congregate, or assemble.
People gathered round as he began to tell his story.
Group
A cluster, crowd, or throng; an assemblage, either of persons or things, collected without any regular form or arrangement; as, a group of men or of trees; a group of isles.
Gather
(intransitive) To grow gradually larger by accretion.
Group
An assemblage of objects in a certain order or relation, or having some resemblance or common characteristic; as, groups of strata.
Gather
To bring parts of a whole closer.
She gathered the shawl about her as she stepped into the cold.
Group
A variously limited assemblage of animals or plants, having some resemblance, or common characteristics in form or structure. The term has different uses, and may be made to include certain species of a genus, or a whole genus, or certain genera, or even several orders.
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.
Group
A number of eighth, sixteenth, etc., notes joined at the stems; - sometimes rather indefinitely applied to any ornament made up of a few short notes.
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.
Group
To form a group of; to arrange or combine in a group or in groups, often with reference to mutual relation and the best effect; to form an assemblage of.
The difficulty lies in drawing and disposing, or, as the painters term it, in grouping such a multitude of different objects.
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.
Group
Any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
Gather
(nautical) To haul in; to take up.
To gather the slack of a rope
Group
(chemistry) two or more atoms bound together as a single unit and forming part of a molecule
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.
Group
A set that is closed, associative, has an identity element and every element has an inverse
Gather
To be filled with pus
Salt water can help boils to gather and then burst.
Group
Arrange into a group or groups;
Can you group these shapes together?
Gather
(glassblowing) To collect molten glass on the end of a tool.
Group
Form a group or group together
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 the primary use of 'gather'?
'Gather' is primarily used as a verb to describe the act of collecting or bringing together various items or people.
Can 'group' be used as a verb?
Yes, 'group' can be used as a verb meaning to organize or classify items or people based on shared characteristics.
Can gather have a metaphorical use?
Yes, gather can be used metaphorically to mean bringing together abstract concepts, like ideas or emotions.
How does 'group' as a noun relate to social contexts?
As a noun, 'group' refers to a set of individuals who share common characteristics or purposes, often seen in social, educational, or professional settings.
What is an example of a group in a biological context?
In biology, a group could refer to a population of species living in the same area or classified together taxonomically.
What does it mean to gather information?
Gathering information means collecting data from various sources, often to inform decisions or research.
What are examples of groups that might not be based on location?
Interest groups, study groups, and professional associations are examples of groups not necessarily based on location.
Is 'gather' used in agricultural contexts?
Yes, 'gather' is often used in agricultural contexts to describe the collection of crops, such as gathering apples from an orchard.
Does gathering always involve physical items?
No, gathering can also involve non-physical elements like gathering thoughts or gathering steam in a metaphorical sense.
How does the concept of gathering differ in digital contexts?
In digital contexts, gathering often refers to collecting electronic data or assembling people virtually, like in online forums.
What is a group in terms of user interfaces?
In user interfaces, a group refers to elements like buttons or tools grouped together for better organization and usability.
How do 'gather' and 'group' interact in event planning?
In event planning, one might gather materials or people while grouping participants into different categories for activities or seating.
How does grouping help in educational settings?
Grouping in educational settings helps in categorizing students by skill level or interests to tailor teaching methods effectively.
What types of groups exist in organizational settings?
In organizations, groups can include departments, project teams, and discussion forums.
Is there a limit to what can be gathered?
Practically, the limit depends on the context, such as physical space for objects or capacity for data in digital collections.
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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
Maham Liaqat
