# collection

/kəˈɫɛkʃən/ (US) · /kəlˈɛkʃən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/collection
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. a group of items

noun · CEFR A2

a group of objects that someone has gathered because they are interesting or valuable.

For teachers: a set of items or amount of material gathered or presented together as a coherent group.

- He has an impressive collection of old coins from all over the world.
- The museum's permanent collection includes several rare manuscripts that have never been displayed to the public before.

### 2. the act of gathering

noun · CEFR B1

the act of picking things up or bringing them together.

For teachers: the systematic process of gathering objects, data, or materials from various sources.

- Trash collection usually happens early on Tuesday mornings.
- The automated data collection system monitors traffic patterns every hour to help urban planners reduce congestion.

### 3. gathering money

noun · CEFR B1

money that is collected from people for a charity or a special reason.

For teachers: the act of soliciting and gathering monetary contributions, often for charitable or religious purposes.

- The church took up a collection to help the families affected by the fire.
- The charity organised a door-to-door collection to raise funds for the new community hospital wing.

### 4. debt recovery

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

the work of getting money from people who have not paid their bills.

For teachers: the process of pursuing payments of debts owed by individuals or businesses.

- If you don't pay your bill soon, the account will be sent to a collection agency.
- The legal department specialises in debt collection, ensuring that all outstanding invoices are settled within the fiscal quarter.

Usage: Often used in the plural form 'collections' to refer to a department in a company.

### 5. musical notes

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a group of musical notes that a composer chooses to use in a piece of music.

For teachers: a set of pitch classes used as the harmonic or melodic basis for a musical composition.

- The composer used a specific collection of notes to create a haunting melody.
- The analyst noted that the entire movement is derived from a single hexachordal collection, providing a sense of structural unity.

## Examples

- She has an impressive collection of old vinyl records.
- The museum's permanent collection includes several rare paintings from the seventeenth century.
- The legal team spent weeks reviewing a vast collection of documents to ensure every piece of evidence was accounted for before the trial began.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.