together
together — adverb
1. doing something in the company of one another or as a group, so that everyone in
doing something in the company of one another or as a group, so that everyone involved shares the same activity or goal.
Owen and Nora walked to school together every morning.
prepositional use: with another person
The whole team worked together to finish the project before the deadline.
collocation: work together
Sade and her colleagues sang together at the office party.
The two families spent the holiday together at a rented cabin by the lake.
collocation: spend time together
When the storm hit, everyone in the village stayed together for safety.
- work together
- live together
- stay together
- spend time together
- eat together
- jointly
more formal; used for shared responsibility or ownership
- as a group
emphasises the whole unit rather than individuals
- in unison
used when people do something at exactly the same time, often in performance
- alone
without any other person
- separately
not in each other's company
Common Mistakes
2. in a romantic or sexual relationship with another person; being a couple in a co
in a romantic or sexual relationship with another person; being a couple in a committed partnership.
Hao and Élise have been together for three years now.
pattern: be together + duration
After six months of dating, William and Nora decided to be together and make their relationship official.
pattern: be together (romantic relationship)
My parents have stayed together through good times and bad.
collocation: stay together (of couples)
Jabari and Gita are no longer together; they broke up last month.
The couple decided to stay together for the sake of their children.
- be together
- stay together
- have been together
- get back together
- in a relationship
more explicit; can be used in formal contexts
- a couple
focuses on the pair as a unit rather than the state of being together
Grammar Patterns
be + together
Usage Note
Frequently used with the verb 'be' (are together, have been together, are no longer together). Subject is usually two people referred to as a pair.
Common Mistakes
3. used with the verb 'get' to describe two people beginning a romantic or sexual r
used with the verb 'get' to describe two people beginning a romantic or sexual relationship with one another.
Darius and Heloísa got together after meeting at a music festival.
phrasal verb: get together
Asher and Abigail got together last spring and have been happy ever since.
I heard that Paul and Sophia finally got together after years of being friends.
Bao and Mira got together after Mira's sister introduced them at a family barbecue.
phrasal verb: get together (start a romantic relationship)
- get together
- get it together
- start seeing each other
slightly less direct; often used in casual conversation
- get involved
more general; can apply to both romantic and non-romantic situations
Grammar Patterns
get together (as a phrasal verb)
Usage Note
Nearly always uses 'get' or 'got' together. The related phrase 'get it together' can also mean 'organise oneself' (see adjective sense 2) — context determines which meaning is intended.
4. happening or being done at one moment or during the same period of time; simulta
happening or being done at one moment or during the same period of time; simultaneously.
The two songs were released together on the same album.
adverb of time: at the same moment
All the guests arrived together just before noon.
Owen and Caio finished the race together, crossing the line shoulder to shoulder.
The fireworks went off together, lighting up the sky in a single burst of colour.
Joaquín and his sister started laughing together at the same joke.
- arrive together
- happen together
- come together
- finish together
- simultaneously
more formal; often used in technical or written contexts
- at once
less formal; also means 'immediately' in other contexts
- at the same time
more explicit but less common as a single adverb
- separately
at different times; one after the other
- individually
one by one rather than all at once
Grammar Patterns
verb + together (simultaneously)
Usage Note
This sense is used with action verbs to indicate that multiple subjects perform an action at the same moment. Distinguish from sense 1, where the focus is on being in the same group rather than timing.
Common Mistakes
5. so that separate things touch, join, mix, or add up to form one unit or total am
so that separate things touch, join, mix, or add up to form one unit or total amount.
Mix the flour and sugar together before adding the eggs.
pattern: mix + things + together
The repair costs came to five hundred dollars all together.
pattern: all together (total amount)
Tie the two ropes together with a strong knot.
The builder nailed the wooden boards together to make a shelf.
pattern: nail/glue/screw + things + together
Add all the numbers together and write the total at the bottom.
- mix together
- put together
- add together
- tie together
- join together
- combined
more formal; often used in mathematical or analytical contexts
- as a whole
views the combined items as one entity
- in total
used when adding amounts or numbers
- apart
separated; not joined
- separately
each part on its own rather than as a whole
Grammar Patterns
verb + things + together
be + combined + together
Usage Note
Common with verbs of joining, mixing, or adding (mix, put, add, tie, glue, nail). The resulting object is treated as one unit.
Common Mistakes
6. gathered or brought into a single location, collection, or group so that people
gathered or brought into a single location, collection, or group so that people or things that were separate are now in one spot.
The teacher gathered all the students together in the hall.
pattern: gather + people + together
Nora collected all the old photographs together in one box.
The conference brought experts from twelve countries together to discuss climate change.
pattern: bring + people + together
Darius called the team together for a quick meeting before the presentation.
pattern: call + people + together
The charity event brought the whole community together for a weekend of fundraising.
- gather together
- bring together
- call together
- get together
- pull together
- in the same place
more explicit; less formal than 'together' in this sense
- as a group
emphasises people rather than things being gathered
- separately
spread across different locations
- apart
not brought into one place
Grammar Patterns
gather + people/things + together
call/bring + together
Usage Note
Often follows verbs of collecting or assembling (gather, bring, call, get, pull). Distinguish from sense 5: sense 5 is about physically joining or mixing items, while sense 6 is about gathering separate people or things into one location.
7. used to show that someone or something is included or added along with others; a
used to show that someone or something is included or added along with others; as well as.
Together with his brother, Owen runs a small bakery in town.
pattern: together with + noun
The rent, together with the cost of electricity, comes to about twelve hundred dollars a month.
pattern: together with + additional cost
Gita, together with two other teachers, organised the school field trip.
The shipment includes the furniture together with all the necessary tools for assembly.
Together with the main course, the meal includes soup, salad, and dessert.
- together with
- together with ... and
- along with
same meaning; slightly less formal
- as well as
equally common; can introduce additional items
- plus
mainly used with numbers or amounts
Grammar Patterns
together with + noun phrase
Usage Note
Almost always appears in the phrase 'together with' followed by a noun phrase. The phrase does not change the number of the subject for verb agreement — the verb matches the first noun. E.g. 'The manager, together with her team, is attending the conference.'
Common Mistakes
together with
idiomUsed to say that someone or something is included as well.
Maya came to the party together with her cousin.
Did you buy the laptop together with the warranty?
together — adjective
1. having a calm, organised, and confident manner, with emotions and thoughts under
having a calm, organised, and confident manner, with emotions and thoughts under control so that one can deal with life effectively.
Despite the pressure at work, Erik seems very together and handles everything with ease.
informal adjective: be + together (organised/stable)
Heloísa is the most together person on the team — she never panics during a crisis.
His presentation was clear and confident; he looked very together up on stage.
After therapy, Abigail feels much more together and ready to take on new challenges.
- feel together
- look together
- seem together
- keep together
Grammar Patterns
be + together (adjective)
Usage Note
Always used after a linking verb (be, seem, look, feel, keep). Cannot go before a noun: you cannot say 'a together person' in formal writing, though it is heard in very informal speech. Distinguish from adjective sense 2, which is about being organised in a practical sense rather than emotionally stable.
Common Mistakes
2. having plans, belongings, or tasks arranged in an orderly way, especially after
having plans, belongings, or tasks arranged in an orderly way, especially after a period of disorganisation.
We need to get our things together before the moving truck arrives.
pattern: get + object + together
Rohan finally got his ideas together and wrote a clear report for the boss.
pattern: get + ideas/thoughts + together
If you could get the documents together by Friday, that would be perfect.
Caio tried to get his notes together before the exam but ran out of time.
The team needs to get itself together before the second half of the game.
- get it together
- get things together
- get ideas together
- get documents together
- organised
standard adjective; can be used before nouns
- sorted out
informal British English; means arranged or resolved
- disorganised
not arranged in a neat or logical order
- messy
untidy or in a state of disorder
Grammar Patterns
get + it/things + together
Usage Note
Almost always used in the phrase 'get [something] together' or 'get it together.' The object can be a concrete thing (documents, belongings) or an abstract thing (thoughts, plans, life). Distinguish from adverb sense 3 ('get together' = start a relationship) by context.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- togethernessnounB2
- gatherverbB1
- gatheringnounB2
- altogetheradverbB1
- get-togethernounB2
Synonym discussion
Sense: adverb/1
Together is the most general and common word for people or things acting in each other's company or as a unit. It fits everyday situations — eating, working, walking, or spending time with others. Jointly emphasises shared responsibility or participation, often in formal or legal contexts: a couple jointly owns property, or two companies jointly fund a project. Mutually focuses on a reciprocal exchange between two parties, such as making a mutually beneficial agreement or feeling mutually attracted. Collectively highlights the group as a whole rather than its individual members, and is common in workplace or political contexts: the board collectively decided to invest, or the team collectively agreed on a deadline. Choose together for general use, jointly for formal agreements, mutually for two-sided actions, and collectively when the group acts as one body.
Common collocations
Phrases
- all together
- together with
- get together
- put together
- come together
Prepositions
Etymology
Together comes from Old English tōgædere, meaning 'in a group' or 'collectively.' The word is formed from tō ('to') and gædere ('together'), which is related to the verb gaderian ('to gather'). Both trace back through Proto-Germanic *gadur- to the Proto-Indo-European root *ghedh-, meaning 'to unite or join.' The sense of being in a romantic relationship emerged in the mid-20th century, while the adjective meaning 'organised and stable' is an informal development from the late 1900s.