Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

collect one's thoughts

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.99 in modern English

Syllables: col-lec-t one's thoughts
IPA

30

Scrabble Score

19

Letters

3

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To become mentally composed, especially after being distressed, surprised, or disoriented; to become calm or organized in one's emotional state or thinking, as in preparation for a conversation, speech, decision, etc.

Example Sentences

"I got up feverish and nervous. I walked out before breakfast, striving to collect my thoughts and tranquilize my feelings."
"I took a moment to collect my thoughts, and likewise to frame in French the sentence by which I proposed to open business."
"She fell sprawling upon a green meadow and was so dazed and bewildered by her bumpy journey across the Merry-Go-Round Mountains that she lay quite still for a time to collect her thoughts."
""I'm a believer, umm," Mr. Bloomberg said before standing silently at the lectern for seven seconds as he collected his thoughts."

Inflected Forms

collects one's thoughts (present, singular) collecting one's thoughts (participle, present) collected one's thoughts (participle, past) collected one's thoughts (past)

Synonyms

collect one's wits gather one's thoughts gather one's wits

Questions

What does collect one's thoughts mean?: To become mentally composed, especially after being distressed, surprised, or disoriented; to become calm or organized in one's emotional state or thinking, as in preparation for a conversation, speech, decision, etc.

How to pronounce collect one's thoughts

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