flock

1 of 4

noun (1)

Synonyms of flocknext
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
Tourists 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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
These sleek ships flock to the glitz of nearby resorts like Cannes, but peaceful Juan-les-Pins is protected. Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 18 May 2026 Marc makes an example of the penitent, powerless Jeanne, reminding the rest of his flock of the punishment for apostasy and using her rough time among the heathens as proof of why none under his control should ever want to trade his order for such modern sin and depravity. Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
Verb
Canadians flocked to the waterfront off Lake Ontario for the sprawling Ontario Place entertainment complex that opened just a few years earlier with the world’s first permanent IMAX theater, the silver Cinesphere. Charlotte Observer, 13 May 2026 Thorne's fans quickly flocked to the comments section of her post to rave over her eye-catching look and return to red hair. Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for flock

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 2

Verb (2)

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of flock was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flock. Accessed 19 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

flock

1 of 2 noun
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

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