horde

noun

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
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As many other countries clamp down on the super-rich, Italy has been bucking the trend; its accommodative flat-tax regime has enticed hordes of big spenders drawn to luxury living and Milan’s increasingly bustling business scene. Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025 As an extra challenge for Wheat, the extended (and hair-raisingly hilarious) sequence of a horde of children running through glass doors and breaking down wooden fences was accomplished by 17 little people, meaning the hairstylist had to match each stunt double’s hair to a child actor’s. Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025 Cut to 28 days later, when Spike was rescued from a horde of infected by Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell), another original survivor who turned out to be the leader of a barbaric cult. Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 3 Sep. 2025 This time it was set in a fantasy world where the player controls an elf whose race is fighting off hordes of otherworldly monsters. Joshua Lamb, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for horde

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of horde was in 1555

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Horde.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horde. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

horde

noun
ˈhō(ə)rd How to pronounce horde (audio)
ˈhȯ(ə)rd
1
: a wandering people or tribe
2
: a great multitude : throng, swarm
hordes of tourists

More from Merriam-Webster on horde

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!