Thesaurus results for HORDE

Q: How does the noun 'horde' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of horde are crowd , crush , mob , and throng . While all these words mean "an assembled multitude," throng and horde suggest movement and pushing. // a throng of reporters // a horde of shoppers

Q: When is it sensible to use 'crowd' instead of 'horde'?

The synonyms crowd and horde are sometimes interchangeable, but crowd implies a close gathering and pressing together. // a crowd gathered

Q: When might 'crush' be a better fit than 'horde'?

The words crush and horde can be used in similar contexts, but crush emphasizes the compactness of the group, the difficulty of individual movement, and the attendant discomfort. // a crush of fans

Q: When can 'mob' be used instead of 'horde'?

The meanings of mob and horde largely overlap; however, mob implies a disorderly crowd with the potential for violence. // an angry mob

horde

noun

ˈhȯrd

Definition of horde

as in swarm

a great number of persons or creatures massed together a horde of mosquitoes hordes of tourists from the cruise ship crowded the shops and cafes

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the noun horde differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of horde are crowd, crush, mob, and throng. While all these words mean "an assembled multitude," throng and horde suggest movement and pushing.

a throng of reporters

a horde of shoppers

When is it sensible to use crowd instead of horde?

The synonyms crowd and horde are sometimes interchangeable, but crowd implies a close gathering and pressing together.

a crowd gathered

When might crush be a better fit than horde?

The words crush and horde can be used in similar contexts, but crush emphasizes the compactness of the group, the difficulty of individual movement, and the attendant discomfort.

a crush of fans

When can mob be used instead of horde?

The meanings of mob and horde largely overlap; however, mob implies a disorderly crowd with the potential for violence.

an angry mob

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of horde With plenty of nervous energy, hordes of United States fans packed into KC Live! — Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026 And now, Swift’s fans are set to descend on the city, accompanied by hordes of media who until recently had little to no concrete information about the hush-hush affair. — Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 1 July 2026 Out went what was left of country-club Republicanism; in came the Fifth Avenue insurgent and his MAGA hordes. — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 That flagship became one of New York’s defining retail landmarks, attracting hordes of tourists and earning appearances in films including Big, Home Alone 2, Baby Boom and Annie. — Mark Faithfull, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for horde

Recent Examples of Synonyms for horde

Noun

Their strategy focuses on low-cost drone swarms, maximizing pilot effectiveness.

— David Hambling, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Every wedding, every cherry blossom season in Japan, every birth, reactor accidents too, swarms of insects, kittens playing with woolen balls, people disfigured by war, palm trees at sunset—five billion photos a day.

— Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026

Definition of swarm

Noun

Tour guides in tricorn hats and colonial garb brought throngs of tourists to sites along the Freedom Trail, including the Granary Burying Ground, the Old North Church, and Paul Revere’s home.

— Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Tomorrow may be even more surreal, with another day of oppressive heat and throngs of tourists in town to see what the president has billed as the biggest fireworks display in human history.

— Hana Kiros, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026

Definition of throng

Noun

The plebeians have plenty to be furious about, but their representatives, skilled at turning a crowd into a mob, seem hellbent on shoring up their own influence.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Large-scale events involve tabletop exercises with law enforcement, fire departments, emergency managers and venue officials running through countless scenarios — evacuations, suspicious packages, drones and crowd surges.

— Bryan West, USA Today, 1 July 2026

Definition of crowd

Noun

That year, as Fredriksen explains, a flock of them took up residence in Palm Beach County’s Stormwater Treatment Area 2 (STA-2), some 80 miles north of their traditional grounds in the Keys and the southern edges of the Everglades.

— Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 6 July 2026
In a 2024 paper, the researchers reported that doctors from the best medical schools flock to the highest-paying specialties.

— Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 5 July 2026

Definition of flock

Noun

Four juveniles were taken into custody and face charges that include third-degree assault by mob, assault on police while resisting arrest, resisting arrest, possession of a machine gun and breach of peace.

— Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
When the decision on trans athletes was made the other day by the Supreme Court were the Justices swarmed by an angry mob and beheaded on the spot?

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026

Definition of mob

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“Horde.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horde. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of horde

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