Meaning

• A set of items or amount of material procured or gathered together.

  "The asteroid belt consists of a collection of dust, rubble, and minor planets."

• Multiple related objects associated as a group.

  "He has a superb coin collection."

• The activity of collecting.

  "Collection of trash will occur every Thursday."

• A set of sets.

• A gathering of money for charitable or other purposes, as by passing a contribution box for donations.

• Debt collection.

• The act of inferring or concluding from premises or observed facts; also, that which is inferred.

• The jurisdiction of a collector of excise.

• (in the plural, Oxford University) A set of college exams generally taken at the start of the term.

• The quality of being collected; calm composure.