gather up

gather up

1. To collect or assemble certain things. A noun or pronoun can be used between "gather" and "up." Gather up your toys now—it's time for us to leave. I gathered the plates up and brought them into the kitchen. Yeah, I'll come sit with you guys—just let me gather up my library books.

2. To bunch in a particular place, often as of fabric. If you ironed that shirt, the fabric wouldn't gather up like that. Ugh, the hem of my dress keeps gathering up because of this stupid static cling! Did you miss a button? Why else would the fabric gather up like that?

See also: gather, up

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

gather something up

to collect something; to pick something up. Let's gather our things up and go. Please gather up your things.

See also: gather, up

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

gather up

v.

1. To bring together or collect something that is distributed or scattered: I gathered up my dress and stepped over the puddle. I gathered the papers up and put them in my briefcase.

2. To come together or be more concentrated in one place: The cloth gathers up at the hem of this dress.

See also: gather, up

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.