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 Waterbucks stood tall and stately along the trail and hordes of the little Angola impalas scurried across in front of us. — Jack O'Connor, Outdoor Life, 8 July 2026 Soon Massachusetts society was groaning under the burden of these hordes of foreign freeloaders. — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 7 July 2026 Not with hordes of soccer fans from Europe, South America, Asia and Australia descending upon the biggest North American cities — all for the same reason — while bringing their unique cultures and traditions with them. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026 With plenty of nervous energy, hordes of United States fans packed into KC Live! — Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for horde

Recent Examples of Synonyms for horde

Noun

The immediate focus is Frenzy 8, a 200-pound-force-thrust engine designed for swarm-class drones, expendable aircraft and other uncrewed defense systems.

— Carolyn Schwaar, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
That agentic swarm exploited a flaw in Hugging Face’s data-processing pipeline to gain the ability to run code as a processing worker, eventually escalating to high-level access to the company’s cloud and server clusters.

— Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 22 July 2026

Definition of swarm

Noun

These friends describe a large party on Horn Island, which is a favorite gathering spot in the summer, with throngs of people spread out in the sun and surf and around numerous boats, some of them drinking in water known to be deep and dangerous.

— Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026
Just Friday, a member of the Blue Angels, the Navy’s flight-demonstration team, buzzed Pensacola Beach at extremely low altitude and a high angle of bank, close to throngs of spectators.

— Brynn Tannehill, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026

Definition of throng

Noun

People throughout the country flock to download storefronts like iTunes and streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and others to listen to their favorite patriotic cuts.

— Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Hugh Jackman leads a flock of sheep that end up forced to solve his murder in a small village.

— Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 17 July 2026

Definition of flock

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“Horde.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horde. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of horde

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