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

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

Synonyms of flock

Noun (1)

• throng
• swarm
• crowd
• horde

Verb (1)

• crowd
• invade
• swarm
• mob
• 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

The Augustinian nuns have the support of the local community and a growing flock of more than 185,000 Instagram followers. —Esme Nicholson, NPR, 1 Dec. 2025

According to the Washington State Department of Health, there is currently no evidence of transmission of the H5N5 virus between people in regards to the recent case and the person who died had a backyard flock of mixed domestic birds. —Health Reporter, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025

Verb

Several Bills players flocked to the scene, and offensive tackle Alec Anderson took exception to the violent hit, shoving Queen while being separated from the pile. —Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025

Viewership exploded as people flocked to Perna’s weekly heartbreak. —Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 30 Nov. 2025

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

Phrases Containing flock

• birds of a feather flock together

Rhymes for flock

• balk
• baulk
• bloc
• bock
• broch
• brock
• calk
• caulk
• chalk
• chock
• clock
• cock

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