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

they 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

Noun (1)

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

Verb (1)

• crowd
• mob
• swarm
• 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

Cal-Maine leveraged high egg prices into a sixfold profit increase despite not experiencing a single bird flu outbreak in its flocks until 11 months later. —Wenonah Hauter, The Mercury News, 13 July 2024

Yet these birds are perhaps more famous for their dramatic hunting behavior, which sees flocks of gannets diving like vertical torpedoes from dozens of feet above the water’s surface. —Liz Lindqwister, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 July 2024

The film, a sequel to 2015's Inside Out, returns us to Riley's brain, where Joy (Amy Poehler) and the other core emotions are inundated with a flock of newcomers who arrive with the onset of puberty. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 15 June 2024

The reinterpretation of classic designs was the leitmotif for the six new capsules showcased by Isko Luxury by PG: sartorial cuts, velvet fabrics, brilliant tones and flock surfaces motifs were featured on the collection produced by Isko and powered by Re&Up recycling technologies. —Andrea Onate, WWD, 12 June 2024

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 1

Verb (2)

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing flock

• birds of a feather flock together

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