horde

noun

ˈhȯrd 

1

a

: 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

Synonyms of horde

• swarm
• throng
• crowd
• flock
• mob

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

In 1935, a horde of white people stood around as Rubin Stacy, a Black farmworker, was lynched in Plantation Florida. — Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2026

His throw to Jordan Allen was the best yet, with a scramble to get away from a horde of defenders, then composing himself and finding Allen in the middle of the field for a 23-yard gain, giving the Jackets first-and-goal. — AJC.com, 3 Sep. 2026

Then, a horde of onlookers zombie-stagger after Shakur and Knight, out of the casino, toward Las Vegas Boulevard. — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026

Each year, hordes of celebrities — including A-list musicians — flock to The Met in New York City to walk the red carpet in avant-garde outfits inspired by the Costume Institute’s spring theme. — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 31 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, German, & Polish; Middle French & German, from Polish horda, from Ukrainian dialect gorda, alteration of Ukrainian orda, from Old Russian, from Turkic orda, ordu khan's residence

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for horde

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

Kids Definition

horde

noun

ˈhō(ə)rd 

ˈhȯ(ə)rd

1

: a wandering people or tribe

2

: a great multitude : throng, swarm

hordes of tourists