hoard

1 of 3

noun (1)

plural hoards
: a supply or fund stored up and often hidden away
a hoard of cash

hoard

2 of 3

verb

hoarded; hoarding; hoards

transitive verb

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 intentionVirginia Woolf
the people outside disperse their affections, you hoard yours, you nurse them into intensityJoseph Conrad

intransitive verb

: 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)

hoard

3 of 3

noun (2)

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
Noun
The aspen and cottonwood trees turn bright yellow and gold, making for a stunning contrast to the Teton Range in the distance, and the hoards of travelers trying to find parking around Jenny Lake disperse. Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 14 Sep. 2024 Berkshire Hathaway’s massive stock sale last quarter came at a potentially opportune time as Warren Buffett’s conglomerate now has an even bigger hoard of cash on its hands while the market is tumbling. Jason Ma, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2024
Verb
Once developed, experts warn these technologies must be shared with low- and middle-income countries and not hoarded by the world’s wealthiest. Jennifer Lotito, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024 Back to hoarding toilet paper?:Amid port strike, some consumers are panic-buying goods. Savyata Mishra, Jessica Dinapoli,, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hoard 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hoard.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb

Middle English hord, from Old English; akin to Goth huzd treasure, Old English hȳdan to hide

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1757, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hoard was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near hoard

Cite this Entry

“Hoard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hoard. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

hoard

noun
ˈhō(ə)rd,
ˈhȯ(ə)rd
: a hidden supply or fund stored up
hoard verb
hoarder noun

More from Merriam-Webster on hoard

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