bevy

noun \ ˈbe-vē \

|Updated on: 20 Jun 2018

Editor's Note: What Makes Up a bevy?

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

The release of Dez Bryant and the retirement of tight end Jason Witten have left the Cowboys with a bevy of unproven pass catchers.

— clarence e. hill jr., star-telegram, "Dak Prescott, Cowboys receivers to take a much-needed getaway to bond, gain chemistry," 14 June 2018
After a line-drive double play left Haley Wynn as the lone runner on base with two outs, a bevy of Vikings errors opened the floodgates.

— curt hogg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Eleven unanswered runs help Whitnall once again down New Berlin West in star-studded sectional clash," 29 May 2018
This year, a bevy of websites have put up stories aimed at giving marchers who might be at a loss for words (and pictures) a few ideas for their placards.

— science news staff, Science | AAAS, "A final dash across the United States: Updates from the 2018 March for Science," 14 Apr. 2018
Oh, and the price of each mass redactor is lopsided: The magnesium rims save 25 pounds, while the Weissach kit’s bevy of carbon-fiber bits chop about 13 pounds yet cost $5K more.

— alexander stoklosa, Car and Driver, "Weissach Package Lightens 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS, Your Bank Account," 28 Mar. 2018
The day started off with a news conference in front of the U.S. Capitol, where a bevy of students stood behind lawmakers.

— moriah balingit, Washington Post, "From Parkland to the U.S. Capitol, shooting survivors deliver a message," 24 Mar. 2018
And a small bevy of brave employees have waded out into the rushing rivers of Twitter, where they have generally been sucked below the surface or swept over waterfalls.

— nicholas thompson and fred vogelstein, WIRED, "A Hurricane Flattens Facebook," 20 Mar. 2018
Interactive Map: State-level gun reform legislation A bevy of bills could broadly redefine gun laws across America.

— andrew keiper, Fox News, "Parkland massacre sparks a wave of state-level gun reform efforts," 15 Mar. 2018
Only those who are sticklers for Google Fit or those who want a bevy of third-party apps on their wrists should still go with Android Wear.

— valentina palladino, Ars Technica, "Gear Sport review: The only fitness watch for Samsung die-hards," 11 Mar. 2018

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.