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en masse

adverb
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\ äⁿ(n)-ˈmas How to pronounce en masse (audio) , -ˈmäs, en- How to pronounce en masse (audio) \

Definition of en masse

: in a body : as a whole moved the inmates en masse to the new prison

Examples of en masse in a Sentence

Her supporters arrived en masse for the rally.
Recent Examples on the Web Haunting pictures of cute koalas, kangaroos and wallabies that have died en masse tear at our heartstrings. — Justin Worland, Time, "Australia's Fires Are Terrifying. Will They Get World Leaders to Act on Climate Change?," 9 Jan. 2020 With such perfect conditions available, the gypsum crystallized out en masse. — Robin George Andrews, National Geographic, "These human-size crystals formed in especially strange ways," 22 Oct. 2019 In this case, Nelson was calling on all 12 million members of the AFL-CIO to walk out en masse. — CBS News, "Sara Nelson, the new face of labor unions," 1 Sep. 2019 Skenderaj was one of the first Kosovar towns where girls en masse started wearing the headscarf. — The Economist, "Confessions of an Islamic State fighter," 16 Aug. 2019 Marty Brennaman had some tough stuff to say about US citizens murdering one another en masse. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc's Morning Line: 12 years later, how do we feel about Barry Bonds' home run legacy?," 7 Aug. 2019 When the mussels die en masse, the decomposition leads to brief burst of productivity. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Scientists Don’t Know Why Freshwater Mussels Are Dying Across North America," 17 Dec. 2019 But decades-old federal law generally requires those that ring consumers with prerecorded messages en masse to first obtain the consent of those called. — Washington Post, "Suspicious robocalls pitching health insurance surged in October. Now, the feds are scrambling to act.," 19 Nov. 2019 Many observational studies, crowd simulations and stress tests were conducted, in order to anticipate the droves of art lovers who descend en masse to the museum, especially on rainy days, and Fridays when admission is free. — Anne Quito, Quartzy, "It’s now possible to get lost at the new “mega MoMA.” That’s a good thing," 22 Oct. 2019

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

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First Known Use of en masse

1795, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for en masse

French

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Time Traveler for en masse

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The first known use of en masse was in 1795

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Last Updated

26 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“En masse.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/en%20masse. Accessed 26 January 2020.

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More Definitions for en masse

en masse

adverb
How to pronounce en masse (audio) How to pronounce en masse (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of en masse

: as a single group : all together

See the full definition for en masse in the English Language Learners Dictionary

More from Merriam-Webster on en masse

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with en masse

Spanish Central: Translation of en masse

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