1
a
: a great number of honeybees emigrating together from a hive in company with a queen to start a new colony elsewhere
b
: a colony of honeybees settled in a hive
2
a
: a large number of animate or inanimate things massed together and usually in motion : throng
swarms of sightseers
a swarm of locusts
a swarm of meteors
b
: a number of similar geologic features or phenomena close together in space or time
a swarm of dikes
an earthquake swarm
swarmed; swarming; swarms
1
: to form and depart from a hive in a swarm
2
a
: to move or assemble in a crowd : throng
b
: to hover about in the manner of a bee in a swarm
3
: to contain a swarm : teem
swarming with bugs
1
: to fill with a swarm
2
: to beset or surround in a swarm
players swarming the quarterback
swarmer
noun
Synonyms
Examples of swarm in a Sentence
Noun
a swarm of tourists descends upon the island every summer
Verb (1)
meeting little resistance, the pirates swarmed the decks of the merchant ship
at this time of year that Mexican resort swarms with college students on spring break
Verb (2)
one of the physical challenges had competitors swarming over a pile of logs
Recent Examples on the Web
John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 14 May 2024
Our sports team at the track reported that the swarm led some spectators to flee the stands.
—Jenny Porter Tilley, The Indianapolis Star, 13 May 2024
In mid-February, another swarm hit roughly the same area, with more than 20 quakes recorded over a few hours around El Centro, Calif.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2024
Greer had been a master of avoiding arrest, but on the morning of Nov. 28, 2017, his days on the run finally came to an end when Greer was taken by surprise by a swarm of undercover police.
—Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 11 May 2024
Future war scenarios envision swarms of American unmanned aircraft providing an advance attack on enemy defenses to give the U.S. the ability to penetrate an airspace without high risk to pilot lives.
—Tara Copp, Fortune, 4 May 2024
Read more Photo of the day: Sea lions swarm San Francisco pier
Some extra barking and splashing was heard this week in San Francisco Bay's Pier 39 as an unusually large swarm of sea lions is gathering at the iconic landmark.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024
There is no imaging scan or blood test that can detect the swarms of microscopic tears that repeated blast exposure can cause in a living brain.
—Dave Philipps, New York Times, 2 May 2024
Even without more evidence of recent eruptions, the Cayley region is littered with hot springs and feels shallow earthquakes including at least 4 swarms since 1985.
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2024
Victor Mather, New York Times, 16 May 2024
Instead, tourists from Iceland and around the world swarmed to the site, some getting within 500 or so feet of the eruption, to glimpse the brilliant red and crimson lava gushing from the mountain and cascading down its sides.
—Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2024
Flies swarmed around his face, pockmarked by shrapnel.
—Anas Baba, NPR, 13 May 2024
With the Thunder focusing so much on swarming Irving and Doncic, Washington was determined to make OKC’s defense pay for the mistake.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2024
It’s been a week since police swarmed the UCLA campus and tore down the pro-Palestinian camp, arresting more than 200 people.
—Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
Tickets, though, are limited, and fans hoping to find a cheap seat at a nearby show swarmed the site.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 8 May 2024
More than 100 people have been arrested during the protests on campus, and police swarmed Hamilton Hall on April 30, where pro-Palestinian protestors were removed from the building at the request of school administrators, The New York Times reported.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 6 May 2024
His shot wasn’t falling as Los Angeles swarmed him with traps and double teams.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 May 2024
Noun
San Jose beekeeper Art Hall’s specialty is removing swarms that have permanently moved into human structures.
—John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 14 May 2024
Our sports team at the track reported that the swarm led some spectators to flee the stands.
—Jenny Porter Tilley, The Indianapolis Star, 13 May 2024
In mid-February, another swarm hit roughly the same area, with more than 20 quakes recorded over a few hours around El Centro, Calif.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2024
Greer had been a master of avoiding arrest, but on the morning of Nov. 28, 2017, his days on the run finally came to an end when Greer was taken by surprise by a swarm of undercover police.
—Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 11 May 2024
Future war scenarios envision swarms of American unmanned aircraft providing an advance attack on enemy defenses to give the U.S. the ability to penetrate an airspace without high risk to pilot lives.
—Tara Copp, Fortune, 4 May 2024
Read more Photo of the day: Sea lions swarm San Francisco pier
Some extra barking and splashing was heard this week in San Francisco Bay's Pier 39 as an unusually large swarm of sea lions is gathering at the iconic landmark.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024
There is no imaging scan or blood test that can detect the swarms of microscopic tears that repeated blast exposure can cause in a living brain.
—Dave Philipps, New York Times, 2 May 2024
Even without more evidence of recent eruptions, the Cayley region is littered with hot springs and feels shallow earthquakes including at least 4 swarms since 1985.
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2024
Verb
Most infamously, in a playoff game in Cleveland in 2007, tiny bugs swarmed the pitchers mound.
—Victor Mather, New York Times, 16 May 2024
Instead, tourists from Iceland and around the world swarmed to the site, some getting within 500 or so feet of the eruption, to glimpse the brilliant red and crimson lava gushing from the mountain and cascading down its sides.
—Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2024
Flies swarmed around his face, pockmarked by shrapnel.
—Anas Baba, NPR, 13 May 2024
With the Thunder focusing so much on swarming Irving and Doncic, Washington was determined to make OKC’s defense pay for the mistake.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2024
It’s been a week since police swarmed the UCLA campus and tore down the pro-Palestinian camp, arresting more than 200 people.
—Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
Tickets, though, are limited, and fans hoping to find a cheap seat at a nearby show swarmed the site.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 8 May 2024
More than 100 people have been arrested during the protests on campus, and police swarmed Hamilton Hall on April 30, where pro-Palestinian protestors were removed from the building at the request of school administrators, The New York Times reported.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 6 May 2024
His shot wasn’t falling as Los Angeles swarmed him with traps and double teams.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swarm.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Swarm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swarm. Accessed 21 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
swarm
1 of 2 noun1
: a great number of honeybees leaving together from a hive with a queen to start a new colony elsewhere
also
: a colony of honeybees settled in a hive
2
: a large number grouped together and usually in motion
swarms of sightseers
a swarm of meteors
swarm
2 of 2 verb1
: to form and leave a hive in a swarm
2
: to move or gather in a swarm : throng
spectators swarmed into the stadium
3
: to contain or fill with a swarm
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