plural noun
People who regularly gather items of one kind, often as a hobby.
Collectors often trade rare coins at weekend shows.
Several collectors visited the museum's stamp exhibit.
American English
How to pronounce collectors
nounB1Common word
kuhLEHKterz
/kʰəˈlɛk.tɚz/
3 syllables · Stress the second syllable.
Form of collector
People who regularly gather items of one kind, often as a hobby.
What to listen for
“Collectors” is /kʰəˈlɛk.tɚz/. Put the main stress on the second syllable, “lec.”
Meanings & examples
plural noun
People or companies whose job is to get money that others owe.
Debt collectors called three times about the unpaid bill.
Tax collectors checked the company's financial records.
Useful expressions
A person or company whose job is to get unpaid money from people.
A debt collector called about my old credit-card bill.
A person whose job is to collect taxes.
The tax collector sent us a notice.
An object that is especially interesting or valuable to people who gather items of that kind.
That old camera may be a collector's item.