Garner vs garnish

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Grammarist

Garner means to gather something, to collect something, especially praise, approval or information. Related words are garners, garnered, garnering. Originally, garner meant to gather up and store grain, it comes from the Latin word granarium which means granary.

Garnish means to decorate, to embellish. Garnish is also a legal term which means to attach a garnishment, which is a legal seizure of pay or other income to satisfy a debt. Garnish may be used as a noun or a verb, related words are garnishes, garnished, garnishing, garnisher. Garnish comes from the Old French garnir meaning provide, furnish, fortify.

Examples

Empty symbolic gestures will certainly garner praise from activists and make for good headlines but it won’t convince the premiers to get in line. (The Huffington Post)

No doubt Kapur will garner praise for her portrait of contemporary India, a world in which deep-rooted traditions, especially when it comes to views about a woman’s role in society and the family, clash with modern ideas about equality and emancipation.  (The National)

After capturing Noriega, authorities questioned him to see whether they could garner information that would lead to Newberry’s capture; other inmates at the Muskogee jail were also part of the investigation. (McAlestar News-Capital)

Strain cocktail into smoked coupe and garnish with charred thyme. (The Wall Street Journal)

Raw chicken will be marinated in re-sealable plastic bags, rather than in bowls and cilantro will be added to freshly cooked rice to allow the heat to get rid of microbes in the garnish. (The New York Daily News)

But history and culture garnish Christmas with an incandescent beauty that belies the rudeness of the moment. (The Livingston Daily)

The judgments allowed the law firm to garnish wages for the debts and to seek civil arrest warrants, according to the attorney general’s complaint. (The Boston Globe)