congregate
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to come together in a group, usually in a public place.
to assemble or gather into a crowd or group. Intransitive in modern usage, though historically used transitively to mean 'to bring together'.
Simple“Crowds began to congregate in the town square to hear the music.”
In context“During the festival, thousands of pilgrims congregate at the shrine, creating a dense and vibrant atmosphere in the narrow streets.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
when animals or birds gather together in one place.
to gather or flock together in a specific location for breeding, feeding, or migration.
Simple“In the winter, many species of birds congregate near the warm coast.”
In context“Marine biologists observed that the sharks tend to congregate around the reef during the summer months to feed on migrating fish.”
“Choe said these effects could help explain why poisoned ants congregate near water, though more research is required to prove that idea.”
“The western blacklegged tick, Ixodes pacificus , is found along the Pacific Coast, congregating mainly in California, Oregon and Washington, and it also carries Lyme disease and anaplasmosis.”
The adjective is first attested in 1400–1450, in Middle English, the verb c. 1513; from Middle English congregat(e) (“(of people) banded together; (of liquids) accumulated; (of muscles) contracted; (of wounds) closed up”), borrowed from Latin congregātus, perfect passive participle of congregō (“to congregate”) (see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3), from con- (“with, together”) + gregō (“to collect into a flock”), from grex (“flock, herd”). See gregarious and egregious. Participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.