bevy

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noun \ ˈbe-vē \

Definition of bevy

plural bevies

1 :a large group or collection

a bevy of girls

2 :a group of animals and especially quail

See bevy defined for English-language learners

See bevy defined for kids

bevy was our Word of the Day on 09/08/2016. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of bevy from the Web

Rounding out this bevy of Adams Avenue impressiveness is: Hawthorn Coffee: For righteous Joe and eats sourced from some of the best, like the inimitable Paraná Empanadas in Liberty Station, Hillcrest’s Bread & Cie and Cake Monkey in Los Angeles.

— michele parente, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Is this the most delicious block in San Diego?," 24 Aug. 2017
The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder committed to Northern Illinois on Saturday, selecting the Huskies over a bevy of offers from BCS schools.

— bob narang, Naperville Sun, "Waubonsie Valley's Charles Robinson commits to Northern Illinois," 21 Aug. 2017
Every new episode of Game of Thrones brings a bevy of instantly iconic moments.

— lilian min, Cosmopolitan, "Was There Anything More Fire Than This Game of Thrones Moment?," 7 Aug. 2017
For those who live in the port city’s expansive seaside suburbs, there are further compensations: big houses with poolside bars, bevies of servants and, behind high walls and security guards, night spots as fancy as any in Dubai or Mumbai.

— The Economist, "The pushmi-pullyuWhat makes Pakistan so unfathomable," 22 July 2017
The county is faced with a bevy of tax requests including a new downtown arena and a soccer-only stadium for FC Cincinnati.

— carl weiser, Cincinnati.com, "You ranked them: Where should county spend its money?," 20 July 2017
The world-class track and field stadium at the University of Kansas will attract a bevy of world-class junior athletes for the annual Junior Olympic national championships.

— dan kelly, kansascity, "KC events July 20-26: Jim Gaffigan, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar,’ D.L. Hughley, Big Picnic," 18 July 2017
Hernandez has the most wins in team history (158) and the best ERA (3.19) among a bevy of career bests and his perfect game against Tampa Bay in 2012 is the single-best pitching performance in team history.

— seattle times sports staff, The Seattle Times, "Top 40 greatest players in Seattle Mariners history: The top 10," 13 July 2017
During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Wray will answer a bevy of questions from Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike on his experience, his character, and his independence.

— matt ford, The Atlantic, "The Senate Meets Trump's Nominee for FBI Director," 12 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bevy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

What Makes Up a bevy?

What do you call a group of crows? Or swine? Or leopards? Well-educated members of the medieval gentry seem to have been expected to know the answers: a murder of crows, a sounder of swine, and a leap of leopards. They would also have been expected to know that bevy referred specifically to a group of deer, quail, larks, or young ladies. Scholars aren't certain why bevy was chosen for those groups (though they have theories). What is known for sure is that bevy first appeared in the 15th century and was used as a highly specific collective for many years. Today, however, bevies can include anything from football players to toaster ovens.