Collection: Definition, Usage & Key Examples

Meaning 1：group of gathered items (collection)

collection 🔊

/kəˈlekʃ(ə)n/

A group of things that someone has gathered and kept together because they are interesting, valuable, or similar.

Collection illustration: colorful stamps from various countries displayed in an organized album.

group of gathered items 🔊

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/ɡruːp əv ˈɡæðərd ˈaɪtəmz/

A set or assembly of objects that have been accumulated and maintained as a unified whole, often due to shared characteristics, value, or personal interest.

📁 Category：Culture & History 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'collectio', from 'colligere' (to gather together). 'com-' (together) + 'legere' (to gather).

💡 Mnemonic

A COLLECTION is a group of items you SELECT to CONNECT under one theme.

📖 Example

His most prized possession is his grandfather's collection of vintage stamps from around the world. 🔊 The item he values most is the assembled group of old stamps from various countries that belonged to his grandfather.

🔗 Collocations

art collection – a curated group of artworks

data collection – the systematic gathering of information

private collection – items gathered and owned by an individual, not an institution

🔄 Synonyms

assemblage (n.) – A collection or gathering of things or people.

compilation (n.) – Something, especially a book, report, or list, that is made up of separate pieces collected together.

accumulation (n.) – A mass or quantity of something that has gradually gathered or been acquired.

🚫 Antonyms

dispersion (n.) – The action or process of distributing things or people over a wide area.

scattering (n.) – A small, dispersed amount of something.

🌱 Derivatives

collect (v.) – To bring or gather together.

collective (adj./n.) – Done by people acting as a group; a cooperative enterprise.

collector (n.) – A person who collects things of a specified type.

📖 Cultural Story

The word evolved from Latin 'collectio', reflecting the act of bringing items together. It plays a central role in modern culture, particularly in museums, libraries, and personal hobbies like stamp or art collecting, where curated groups of objects hold cultural or historical value.