hoard

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 intention …

—Virginia Woolf

the people outside disperse their affections, you hoard yours, you nurse them into intensity

—Joseph 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.

—Connie McDougall

Synonyms of hoard

• store
• stash
• accumulate
• stockpile
• treasure

Examples of hoard in a Sentence

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

In every food shock, the temptation is to hoard. —John W.h. Denton Ao, Fortune, 6 June 2026

Overachiever bird Urban bowerbirds are prolific collectors, hoarding an average of 90 items per bower — with one overachiever amassing more than 300. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 June 2026

Suddenly, there is broad enthusiasm for systems that keep the powerful from hoarding all available advantages. —Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026

Don’t hoard information or relationships, Share credit generously and avoid territorial behavior. —Mark Nevins, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing hoard

• word-hoard

Rhymes for hoard

• board
• bored
• chord
• cord
• corde
• cored
• fjord
• floored
• gored
• gourd
• horde
• lord

Kids Definition

hoard

noun

ˈhō(ə)rd, 

ˈhȯ(ə)rd

: a hidden supply or fund stored up

hoard verb

hoarder noun