plural hoards
: a supply or fund stored up and often hidden away
a hoard of cash
hoarded; hoarding; hoards
1
: to collect and often hide away a supply of : to accumulate a hoard (see hoard entry 1) of
hoarding food
2
: to keep (something, such as one's thoughts) to oneself
she hoarded her intention—
Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolfthe people outside disperse their affections, you hoard yours, you nurse them into intensity—Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad
: to collect and often hide away a supply of something
specifically
: to engage in compulsive hoarding
One thing people who hoard have in common is a skewed perceived value of possessions. —My Edmonds News (Edmonds, Washington)
My Edmonds News (Edmonds, Washington)
plural hoards
: a temporary board fence put around a building being erected or repaired : hoarding entry 2 sense 1
Examples of hoard in a Sentence
Noun (1)
a squirrel's hoard of nuts
keeps a hoard of empty yogurt containers in his basement workshop for storing whatnots
Verb
he's been hoarding empty yogurt containers all winter, with the intention of using them to start seedlings in the spring
Recent Examples on the Web
Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2025
More than 1,000 years ago, below the statue of the reclining Buddha in an ancient temple, someone stashed their hoard.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 12 May 2025
Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
People hoard knowledge due to time pressure, misaligned incentives, or a fear of losing their edge.
—Dr. Cynthia J. Young, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoard
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Noun
The Viking Age lasted from roughly 800 A.D. to 1050 A.D., meaning that the hoard dates back to the later part of the era.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2025
More than 1,000 years ago, below the statue of the reclining Buddha in an ancient temple, someone stashed their hoard.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 12 May 2025
Verb
Lisa Sherman Luna, the executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, said state officials are hoarding power for themselves.
—Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
People hoard knowledge due to time pressure, misaligned incentives, or a fear of losing their edge.
—Dr. Cynthia J. Young, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoard
Cite this Entry
“Hoard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hoard. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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