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garner

verb
gar·​ner | \ ˈgär-nÉ™r How to pronounce garner (audio) \
garnered; garnering\ ˈgärn-​riÅ‹ How to pronounce garnering (audio) , ˈgär-​nÉ™-​ \

Definition of garner

 (Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to gather into storage
b : to deposit as if in a granary volumes in which he has garnered the fruits of his lifetime labors— Reinhold Niebuhr
2a : to acquire by effort : earn garnered much praise for his fundraising
b : accumulate, collect

Garner

biographical name
Gar·​ner | \ ˈgär-nÉ™r How to pronounce Garner (audio) \

Definition of Garner (Entry 2 of 2)

John Nance 1868–1967 American politician; vice president of the U.S. (1933–41)
Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about garner

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Did You Know?

What do you call a building in which grain is stored? These days, English speakers are most likely to call it a granary, but there was a time when the noun garner was also a likely candidate. That noun, which can also mean "something that is collected," dates from the 12th century. The verb garner joined the language two centuries later. The verb was once commonly used with the meaning "to gather into a granary," but today it usually means "to earn" or "to accumulate." The noun garner is uncommon in contemporary use; it is now found mainly in older literary contexts, such as these lines of verse from Sir Walter Scott's "The Bride of Lammermoor": "Or, from the garner-door, on ether borne, / The chaff flies devious from the winnow'd corn."

Examples of garner in a Sentence

Verb

 She garnered more evidence to support her theory. The senator has spent much time garnering financial support for his upcoming campaign. The novel has garnered much praise and several awards.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

 Yet in recent years, much of the violence has played out like a low-intensity war, with a high number of individual killings yet fewer mass murders designed to garner grisly headlines. — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, "Extreme acts of violence in Mexico are on the rise: 27 burned to death at a strip club," 28 Aug. 2019 Civil Rights activist and Alabamian Rosa Parks is the latest iconic woman to garner a doll in her likeness as part of Barbie’s Inspiring Women series. — Amber Sutton, al, "Barbie debuts Rosa Parks doll as part of series honoring iconic women," 26 Aug. 2019 With a healthy summer off, expect Murray to garner some All-Star chatter early this season. — Mike Singer, The Denver Post, "Projecting the Nuggets’ depth chart heading into 2019-’20 season," 24 Aug. 2019 Of course, this isn't stopping the chatter online: Some even think this is a PR play by Prince William and Kate Middleton to garner favor, but there's no hard evidence of that: Who knows what's going on here, honestly. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "People Can't Stop Talking About Kate Middleton and Prince William Flying Commercial," 22 Aug. 2019 Because while other countries have invested public money in the technology, American proponents of carbon ions have been unable to garner federal or private backing. — Daniel Oberhaus, WIRED, "A Potent Cancer Therapy, an Instagram Hoax, and More News," 21 Aug. 2019 Both concepts helped garner attention for the forthcoming Audi e-Tron and Mercedes EQ C, the first all-electric models for their respective brands. — Fortune, "Pebble Beach: What to Expect from America’s Most Prestigious Car Show," 13 Aug. 2019 Considering Oklahoma scored the most touchdowns per game in 2018 (6.1), the song is sure to garner significant airtime. — Morgan Turner, SI.com, "The Greatest Fight Songs in College Football History," 12 Aug. 2019 Horror fans tend to be sniffy about filmmakers who eschew lashing of gore and an atmosphere of kiddie-repulsing intensity in favor of attempting to garner the largest possible audience with a rating lower than an R. — Clark Collis, EW.com, "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a disgustingly good gateway horror movie," 8 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'garner.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of garner

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for garner

Verb

Middle English (Scots), from Middle English gerner, garner granary, from Anglo-French gerner, grenier, from Latin granarium, from granum grain — more at corn

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More Definitions for garner

garner

verb
How to pronounce Garner (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of garner

formal
: to collect or gather (something)
: to get or receive (something wanted or valued)

See the full definition for garner in the English Language Learners Dictionary

garner

verb
gar·​ner | \ ˈgär-nÉ™r How to pronounce garner (audio) \
garnered; garnering

Kids Definition of garner

1 : to collect or gather The scientist garnered more evidence to support his theory.
2 : to acquire or earn The band garnered a large following.

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More from Merriam-Webster on garner

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with garner

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for garner

Spanish Central: Translation of garner

Nglish: Translation of garner for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of garner for Arabic Speakers

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