horde

\ ˈhȯrd

How to pronounce horde (audio)

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Definition of horde

1a : a political subdivision of central Asian nomads

b : a people or tribe of nomadic life

2 : a large unorganized group of individuals : a teeming crowd or throng hordes of peasants

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Choose the Right Synonym for horde

crowd, throng, horde, crush, mob mean an assembled multitude. crowd implies a close gathering and pressing together. a crowd gathered throng and horde suggest movement and pushing. a throng of reporters a horde of shoppers crush emphasizes the compactness of the group, the difficulty of individual movement, and the attendant discomfort. a crush of fans mob implies a disorderly crowd with the potential for violence. an angry mob

Examples of horde in a Sentence

A horde of tourists entered the museum. Hordes of reporters were shouting questions.

Recent Examples on the Web Mature agave stalks, which can weigh as much as a linebacker, pack a raw carbohydrate payload large enough to feed hordes of alcohol-producing yeasts. — Ali Bouzari, SFChronicle.com, "Housemade: How Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant highlights quality Tequila in its margaritas," 30 Dec. 2019 Imagine the barbarians at the gates of Rome, or early Christian hordes destroying the great art of antiquity. — John Kass, Twin Cities, "John Kass: Is this still a free country? The new movie ‘No Safe Spaces’ raises frightening doubts," 6 Dec. 2019 That would be something like a flamethrower against a horde locusts. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Russia's Huge Drone Swarms Could Be Unstoppable," 6 Nov. 2019 Even before the outbreak, Lovecraft believed that foreign hordes were infecting the Aryan race generally, weakening the bloodlines. — Elizabeth Outka, The Conversation, "Zombie flu: How the 1919 influenza pandemic fueled the rise of the living dead," 28 Oct. 2019 When the snow melts away in June, the Arctic erupts into a riot of life, with plants poking out of the soil primed to bloom, insects emerging and hordes of shorebirds migrating long distances to the area to nest. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Extreme Snowfall Prevented Arctic Species From Breeding Last Year," 16 Oct. 2019 Nyong’o plays Miss Caroline, who escorts Felix’s class on a field trip to a farm — with a smitten Dave in tow — when zombie hordes start steaming in from a nearby military base. — Los Angeles Times, "Review: Lupita Nyong’o in ‘Little Monsters’ is the zombie-fighting kindergarten teacher we need," 8 Oct. 2019 Throughout the Termination Era, NCAI offered legal assistance to tribes combatting the federal government and loudly opposed H.R. 280, holding a press conference attended by hordes of international media members. — Nick Martin, The New Republic, "Indian Country Deserves a Better Hero Than Richard Nixon," 21 Oct. 2019 Players take control of a team of four and button mash their way through hordes of enemies. — Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, "Roundup: ‘Bloodstained’ highlights games that shouldn’t be overlooked," 16 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'horde.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

11 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Horde.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horde. Accessed 22 January 2020.

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