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

• army
• bike [chiefly Scottish]
• cram
• crowd
• crush
• drove
• flock
• herd
• host
• legion
• mass
• mob
• multitude
• press
• rout
• scrum
• swarm
• throng

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

Now, Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks was presenting a vision where Buxton could be IndyCar’s lead voice and create a bridge to the horde of new F1 fans in the United States — many of whom were hooked by the same Netflix show that made Buxton so well known here. —Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 22 May 2025

Drawing even more hordes to South Florida this holiday weekend: the Air & Sea Show on May 24-25 in South Beach. —Miami Herald, 21 May 2025

A Day Trip To The Poconos An easy drive from such major cities as New York and Philadelphia, the Pocono Mountains of northeast Pennsylvania attract hordes of staycation visitors all year round. —Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025

Look no further than the hordes that turn up to town halls hosted by the few Republican lawmakers brave enough to host them. —Averi Harper, ABC News, 29 Apr. 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