flock

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈfläk 

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

Tourists 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

Synonyms of flock

Noun (1)

• throng
• swarm
• crowd
• horde

Verb (1)

• crowd
• invade
• swarm
• mob
• throng

Examples of flock in a Sentence

Noun (1)

a flock of obstreperous reporters at the press conference

a flock of sheep crossing the road

Verb (1)

vacationers flocked to the towns along the shore in order to escape the August heat

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

During our walk, Kewman and I came upon a flock of California quail beside the trail. — Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026

In remote ranching outposts across the treeless plateau of Chubut province, life revolves around tending flocks on steppes and shearing sheep in sheds. — ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026

Verb

Star chefs from across the world flocked to the culinary hotspot for the 50 Best Restaurants 2026, a prestigious awards ceremony that crowns the top restaurants around the globe based on anonymous nominations from over a thousand industry experts. — Nathan Tavares, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Nov. 2026

Fans have flocked to 4DX showings of the Olivia Colman-Alexander Skarsgård fantasy romance Wicker. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2026

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 2

Verb (2)

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing flock

• birds of a feather flock together

Rhymes for flock

• balk
• baulk
• bloc
• bock
• broch
• brock
• calk
• caulk
• chalk
• chock
• clock
• cock

Kids Definition

flock

1 of 2 noun

ˈfläk 

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