flock

1 of 4

noun (1)

1
: a group of animals (such as birds or sheep) assembled or herded together
2
: a group under the guidance of a leader
especially : a church congregation
3
: a large number
a flock of tourists

flock

2 of 4

verb (1)

flocked; flocking; flocks

intransitive verb

: to gather or move in a flock
they flocked to the beach

flock

3 of 4

noun (2)

1
: a tuft of wool or cotton fiber
2
: woolen or cotton refuse used for stuffing furniture and mattresses
3
: very short or pulverized fiber used especially to form a velvety pattern on cloth or paper or a protective covering on metal
4
: floc

flock

4 of 4

verb (2)

flocked; flocking; flocks

transitive verb

1
: to fill with flock
2
: to decorate with flock

Examples of flock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The birds gather in large flocks during fall and winter and break up during the mating season. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 The Texas Coast is a hotspot for birding too, with birders flocking to the Lone Star State each spring to glimpse migrating flocks. Pam Leblanc, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Mar. 2024 The mesmerizing phenomenon of flock of starlings shifting into different shapes is known as murmuration. Naomi Schanen, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024 The commercial, which will air just before kick-off, sees flocks of Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks flying through the sky, as a bird watcher tracks them. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2024 The teaser begins with Musgraves walking a grassy hill in a long, flowy white dress alongside a flock of white birds. Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 5 Feb. 2024 Red-winged blackbirds begin to show at feeders in larger numbers in February as flocks also move northward. Taylor Piephoff, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 In California, the outbreak has affected more than 7 million chickens in about 40 commercial flocks and 24 backyard flocks, with most of the outbreaks occurring over the past two months on the North Coast and Central Valley, according to the USDA. Terry Chea The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 28 Jan. 2024 From November to April, a sheep herder comes on site with his flock to naturally graze and fertilize the fields. Lana Bortolot, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
Verb
With Singapore the only Southeast Asian stop on the tour — something that caused no end of grumbling from its neighbors — fans from China to Malaysia have flocked to the city-state. Regine Cabato, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 While the box office continued to struggle to return to its pre-pandemic levels overall, audiences flocked to films with diverse casts, the report found. Josh Rottenberg, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Droves of shoppers are also flocking to these under-sink organizers that are on sale for $14 apiece right now. Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 The weather wildcard could throw a wrench into solar eclipse viewing plans, which is why many people will flock to Texas where cloud cover is not so prominent, according to USA Today. Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Mar. 2024 People of all ages are flocking to St. Sebastian on this mild Friday evening. Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024 Not only are students increasingly flocking to ASU, but so are other universities. Brandon Busteed, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Since then, adventurers have flocked to witness the lake formation for themselves and wade out into its waters. Haven't been yet? USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2024 As the Amazon Influencer Program has grown, thousands have flocked to Facebook and Reddit groups in hopes of learning how to join them. Caroline O'Donovan, Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flock.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English flocc crowd, band; akin to Old Norse flokkr crowd, band

Noun (2)

Middle English flok, from Anglo-French, from Latin floccus

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of flock was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near flock

Cite this Entry

“Flock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flock. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

flock

1 of 2 noun
1
: a group of animals (as birds or sheep) assembled or herded together
2
: a group someone keeps watch over
3
: a large number
a flock of tourists

flock

2 of 2 verb
: to gather or move in a crowd
they flocked to the beach

More from Merriam-Webster on flock

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!