How to Use collect in a Sentence

collect

verb
  • I took a minute to collect my thoughts.
  • He collected stories from all over the world.
  • We collected our baggage from the baggage claim at the airport.
  • I left my suit at the cleaners and I have to collect it today.
  • We collected soil samples from several areas on the site.
  • He has an impressive stamp collection, though he has been collecting for only a few years.
  • She enjoys collecting antique teapots.
  • They collected information about the community.
  • They hope to collect over 1,000 signatures on the petition.
  • Baseball caps can collect stains and smells over time.
    — Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 12 June 2026
  • One of his quirks is collecting cologne.
    — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
  • This is an effective way to collect dust or pet hair around the home.
    — Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 20 Jan. 2026
  • Once the flowers have dried, the seeds are ready to be collected.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Sep. 2025
  • That means the government collects less and less with the gas tax.
    — Camila Domonoske, NPR, 28 May 2026
  • It can be collected by cruise lines or their shipping agents.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Trump has vowed to collect tariffs through other means.
    — Michelle Chapman, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
  • And those are the people starting to collect.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
  • The end result will be a space that feels collected over time, rather than stuck in time.
    — Tessa Cooper, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Oct. 2025
  • The fat collects in the pan and all sides of your bacon strips will evenly cook to a crisp.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 26 Jan. 2026
  • The group collects books and takes them to classrooms like this one for students to take home.
    — Chris Schulz, NPR, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Over winter, windows collect dirt, salt, dust and residue from storms.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
  • She was also charged with collecting bribes.
    — Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
  • Avoid planting in heavy clay soil or areas where water tends to collect.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
  • There had been no rape kit collected that night or in the days following.
    — Kansas City Star, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Physics collects the difference on the floor.
    — Robert J. Szczerba, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
  • The whole semester, just one parent had to come collect a phone.
    — Angela Andaloro, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • All human waste is collected in barrels and sent back frozen.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 May 2026
  • Plus, many cleaner heads are designed to get right up against baseboards to collect dust.
    — Terri Williams, Architectural Digest, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Lovelle knew her dad had been collecting things since her parents' divorce.
    — Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 28 May 2026
  • Methane evaporates, forms clouds, falls as rain, and collects in lakes and seas.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'collect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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