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to gather around

to gather around

70 1.9
Come together in a group near someone or something
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈɡæðər əˈraʊnd/
translation icon : reunirse en torno a
  • Following the presentation, the kids go outside and gather around Jim's car.
  • crowds gather around
  • people gather around
  • groups gather around

My whole family in the kitchen gathered around this table looking at Keenan on Johnny Carson.

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Examples

  • Everybody's here gathered around the table full of holiday cheer.

  • We've all gathered around to help you.

  • All right, everyone gather around for a Christmas story.

  • All right, gather around, folks.

  • Everybody gather around and look closely.

  • When the pizza arrived, they all gathered around the table in the family room off the kitchen.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • A small group, mainly older women, has gathered around the man and his birds.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Twenty minutes later, everyone is gathered around a long wooden dining table just off the kitchen.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Everybody's here, gathered around the table full of holiday cheer.

  • Everyone, gather around the fire to stay warm on this chilly night.

Synonyms

to gather
vsto gather around
1.0

Bring people, things, or information together in one place

is similar but implies collecting around a particular person or thing
to collect
vsto gather around
499 1.1

To bring things or people together in one place

narrows this to joining that places people around a central point
to meet
vsto gather around
229 1.0

To come together at one point, like two rivers or walls

adds that the joining happens arranged around a person or object
to assemble
vsto gather around
152 3.3

To gather people in one place for a purpose

is like this but points to gathering around a specific centre
to meet up
vsto gather around
  • Informal
122 1.8

To come together with friends to spend time

is similar but used when the meeting forms around someone or something
to get together
vsto gather around
  • Informal
118 2.8

To bring people together for a meeting or activity

focuses this bringing on forming a group around a particular centre
to flock
vsto gather around
74 2.0

To move together in large numbers

is similar but implies moving to surround a person or object
to turn out
vsto gather around
74 3.5

People come to an event in large numbers

is more about surrounding a person or thing than merely attending
to convene
vsto gather around
  • Formal
45 5.7

To bring people together for a formal meeting

differs by being an informal physical grouping around a person or thing
to cluster
vsto gather around
41 3.5

To come together in a small group or make people do the same

is about forming that close group specifically around someone or something
to come together
vsto gather around
35 2.1

Move toward each other and meet, often touching or closing around something

is similar but always implies forming a group around a central point
to stand together
vsto gather around
33 3.4

To join others to support the same cause

is less about physical encircling and more about unified support
to rally around
vsto gather around
30 4.1

To come together to support someone in a hard time

is similar physically but stresses surrounding for support or aid
to congregate
vsto gather around
30 4.1

To come together in a group for a reason

is narrower by stressing physical grouping around someone or something
to bunch up
vsto gather around
8 3.3

To gather closely into a tight group

is the action when that cluster arranges around a person or thing
to bunch together
vsto gather around
5 3.1

To move or bring close together to form a small group

adds the idea of positioning that compact group around a centre
to bring everyone together
vsto gather around
3 3.4

To make a group feel part of the same community

limits that unity to a physical gathering around someone or something
to crowd together
vsto gather around
2 3.0

To stand or move closely in a group

is specifically about arranging that tight group around a centre
to flock together
vsto gather around
2 3.0

People and animals come together in a group for safety or shared interest

adds that this gathering can be arranged physically around a centre
to rally to support
vsto gather around
1 3.9

To come together to help someone or a cause

differs by focusing on physical surrounding rather than only helping
to crowd in on
vsto gather around
1 4.8

To move close together around a person or thing leaving little space

forms a group positioned around a person or object
to agglomerate
vsto gather around
1 8.4

To join together to form a mass or cluster

focuses that collection into a group arranged about a centre
to foregather
vsto gather around
  • Archaic
1 9.2

To come together in one place, often for a meeting

is more about meeting that specifically arranges people around a centre
to aggroup
vsto gather around
9.9

To bring people or things together into a group

means the same but stresses assembly around a person or object
to forgather
vsto gather around
  • Archaic
9.4

Come together in one place to meet or celebrate

is focused on assembling specifically around a person or object

Antonyms

104 4.4

To cause people and things, like a crowd or fog, to spread over a wide area

How Crowded

swarm
42 3.4
to gather around
70 1.9
cluster
210 3.1

Surface Forms

gather around infinitive
gathered around past participle
gathering around present participle
gathers around third person singular

Morphology

gather + around

The meaning 'to come together and form a group around someone or something' is directly and compositionally derived from 'gather' (to assemble) plus 'around' (surrounding/nearby). This verb + locative particle pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows standard English composition, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Gather around comes from the simple image of people who gather and stand around a fire, table, or storyteller so they can see or hear better. So, it means 'to come together and form a group around someone or something'.