throng

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a multitude of assembled persons
b
: a large number : host entry 4
2
a
: a crowding together of many persons
b
: a pressing increase of activity
this throng of businessS. R. Crockett

throng

2 of 2

verb

thronged; thronging ˈthrȯŋ-iŋ How to pronounce throng (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to crowd upon : press
a celebrity thronged by fans
2
: to crowd into : pack
shoppers thronging the streets

intransitive verb

: to crowd together in great numbers
Choose the Right Synonym for throng

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 throng in a Sentence

Noun grabbed a megaphone and addressed the vast throng Verb Shoppers thronged the mall for the sales. fans thronged the field to celebrate the win
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
To avoid the throngs of high-season tourists, make your way to the Italian town from March to May, or September to November for its shoulder seasons. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 24 Sep. 2023 Biggest star encounter in Toronto… The throng of fans chasing Ryan Reynolds. Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2023 Free from the throngs of tourists that come along with the summer months and sandwiched before the holiday season travel deluge, the fall is the ideal time to get on the road. Krista Simmons, Sunset Magazine, 1 Sep. 2023 At one point before the sentencing hearing began, the throngs of people waiting to enter broke into spontaneous applause when Ridley-Thomas made his way through the crowd. Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2023 One person received serious injuries in the early morning shooting, which police said was not connected to the throngs celebrating J’ouvert but instead was from an altercation from two groups nearby, the Globe reported. Breanne Kovatch, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Aug. 2023 In the play, which premiered in 2007 at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre and which was last staged locally in 2011 at the Old Globe, Violet Weston’s three daughters are among the throng that gathers at the Oklahoma house after the disappearance, and feared suicide, of patriarch Beverly. David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Aug. 2023 Taliban fighters guarding the gates would fire their rifles toward the throngs. USA TODAY, 13 Aug. 2023 During each ride, Amir pointed his camera through the windows of train cars, across platforms and up escalators in search of interesting people and contrasts, like a family with huge suitcases being swept up in a throng of Beyoncé fans. Amir Hamja, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2023
Verb
At his death in 1991, fans thronged the street outside, scrawling messages of adoration on the beige facade, and fresh graffiti still regularly appears. Catherine Bennett, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2023 Protesters thronged outside Ben-Gvir's home in a West Bank settlement Friday to condemn his remarks. Isabel Debre, USA TODAY, 28 Aug. 2023 For sure, this coastal town is beloved in summer, thronged with visitors who order lobster rolls and blueberry pie and queue up for sailing excursions. Pamela Wright, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Aug. 2023 Read full article Witnesses said a large crowd of devotees had thronged the temple to perform a fire ritual and celebrate the festival for the deity Rama. Ashok Sharma, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Mar. 2023 Thousands of Israeli protesters took to the streets on Tuesday, blocking major highways and thronging the country’s main international airport, in countrywide demonstrations against the government’s contentious plan to overhaul the country’s judicial system.. Julia Frankel, Anchorage Daily News, 11 July 2023 Normally thronging with 18,000 students, the liberal arts university campus feels like a scene from an apocalyptic science fiction film. Catherine Porter Andrea Mantovani, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2023 On Sunday, tens of thousands of defiant junta supporters thronged the largest stadium in the capital, Niamey, voicing their anger against ECOWAS and chanting the name of the military official who claims to be in charge, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani. Omar Hama Saley, New York Times, 6 Aug. 2023 Netanyahu’s supporters, meanwhile, thronged central Tel Aviv — normally the setting for anti-government protests. Tia Goldenberg and Isaac Scharf, Chicago Tribune, 24 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'throng.' 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

Middle English throng, thrang "mass, press," going back to Old English *thrang or gethrang (with ge-, collective prefix), going back to West Germanic *þrang- (whence Middle Dutch gedranc "crowd, press," dranc, drang "pressure," Old High German gidrang "crowd, mass"), noun ablaut derivative from the base of Germanic *þrengan-,*þrenhan- "to press" (whence Old Saxon thringan "to press, urge," Old High German dringan, thringan, Old Norse þryngva "to press, crowd," Gothic þreihan), going back to dialectal Indo-European *trenk- "press," whence also Lithuanian trenkiù, treñkti "to push roughly, fling"

Verb

Middle English thrangen, throngen, probably derivative of throng, thrang throng entry 1, replacing thringen, going back to Old English thringan

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of throng was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near throng

Cite this Entry

“Throng.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/throng. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

throng

1 of 2 noun
1
: a large number of people gathered together
a throng of over 3000
2
: a large number : crowd
a throng of fans
a throng of cars

throng

2 of 2 verb
thronged; thronging ˈthrȯŋ-iŋ How to pronounce throng (audio)
1
: to crowd upon or into
a celebrity thronged by fans
shoppers thronged the mall
2
: to move, pass, or crowd together in great numbers
the commuters thronged towards the station

More from Merriam-Webster on throng

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