horde

noun

ˈhȯrd 

1

a

: a political subdivision of central Asian nomads

b

: a people or tribe of nomadic life

2

: a large unorganized group of individuals : a teeming crowd or throng

hordes of peasants

Synonyms of horde

• swarm
• throng
• crowd
• flock
• mob

Choose the Right Synonym for horde

crowd, throng, horde, crush, mob mean an assembled multitude.

crowd implies a close gathering and pressing together.

a crowd gathered

throng and horde suggest movement and pushing.

a throng of reporters

a horde of shoppers

crush emphasizes the compactness of the group, the difficulty of individual movement, and the attendant discomfort.

a crush of fans

mob implies a disorderly crowd with the potential for violence.

an angry mob

Examples of horde in a Sentence

A horde of tourists entered the museum.

Hordes of reporters were shouting questions.

Recent Examples on the Web

Where Game of Thrones the HBO series was a fantasy juggernaut with sweeping shots of warrior hordes and big twists, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is told from a single viewpoint as Sir Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg wander through Westeros while the Targaryen dynasty rules the Iron Throne. —Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 12 Jan. 2026

Theme parks use hordes of performers to bring their worlds to life. —Sasha Richie, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026

Payton wants to see members of his current staff get those same opportunities, but the horde of interviews this week for members of Denver’s staff also helped frame the importance of what lies ahead for the Broncos. —Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026

The boom spilled into credit markets as well, with firms only tangentially linked to defense attracting hordes of prospective lenders. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, German, & Polish; Middle French & German, from Polish horda, from Ukrainian dialect gorda, alteration of Ukrainian orda, from Old Russian, from Turkic orda, ordu khan's residence

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for horde

• board
• bored
• chord
• cord
• corde
• cored
• fjord
• floored
• gored
• gourd
• hoard
• lord

Kids Definition

horde

noun

ˈhō(ə)rd 

ˈhȯ(ə)rd

1

: a wandering people or tribe

2

: a great multitude : throng, swarm

hordes of tourists