multitude

noun

mul·​ti·​tude ˈməl-tə-ˌtüd 

-ˌtyüd

1

: the state of being many

… the mind falters, confused by the multitude and yet the harmony of the detail …

—Theodore Dreiser

2

: a great number : host entry 4

a multitude of choices

a multitude of complaints

3

: a great number of people

A multitude gathered to hear the governor's speech.

4

: populace, public

a candidate trying to appeal to the multitude

Synonyms

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

Examples of multitude in a Sentence

a candidate trying to appeal to the multitude

awed by the multitude of stars in the night sky

Recent Examples on the Web

Congress passed a multitude of laws to try to address this new school threat, including schools being designated part of the nation's critical infrastructure in 2011. —Donald J. Mihalek, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2024

That helped the purple team easily come in under budget, but on the green team, Laura’s multitude of dessert ingredients like milk and alcohol pushed their bill way over the $1,000 limit. —Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin multitudin-, multitudo, from multus much — more at meliorate

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing multitude

• cover/hide a multitude of sins
• the multitude

Kids Definition

multitude

noun

mul·​ti·​tude ˈməl-tə-ˌt(y)üd 

: a great number of things or people