throng

noun \ ˈthrȯŋ \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of throng

1 a :a multitude of assembled persons

b :a large number :host

2 a :a crowding together of many persons

b :a pressing increase of activity

this throng of business
—S. R. Crockett

See throng defined for English-language learners

See throng defined for kids

Examples of throng in a Sentence

grabbed a megaphone and addressed the vast throng

Recent Examples of throng from the Web

The same America who welcomed throngs of immigrants who did not speak English through Ellis Island.

— byron mccauley, Cincinnati.com, "Lest we forget, Americans are a resilient lot," 18 Aug. 2017
His predecessors, meanwhile, have joined a growing throng of politicians who have denounced the hatred that was on public display.

— cleve r. wootson jr., Washington Post, "Both Bush presidents just spoke out on Charlottesville — and sound nothing like Trump," 16 Aug. 2017
If a crowd-free destination is your motivation, these five underrated national parks are also worth a visit, and may not have the same throngs of people as more well-known parks.

— meredith carey, CNT, "Free National Park Day Is Almost Here," 10 Aug. 2017
Golf is such a civilized sport, even the throngs of spectators have a fancy name –

— cristina bolling, charlotteobserver, "What to wear to the PGA Championship – and what to leave at home," 7 Aug. 2017
As throngs of officers ascended outside the bar, billy clubs in hand, Scott grabbed a bottle.

— malaika jabali, Essence.com, "'Detroit:' The Real Story Behind One Of The Most Horrific Police Brutality Events In History," 3 Aug. 2017
The Parrothead camaraderie was most evident when the throngs finally entered Wrigley.

— rebecca aydin, chicagotribune.com, "Parrotheads converge on Wrigley for Buffett love," 16 July 2017
Zahnd was among the throng of nearby residents, police, homicide investigators and other law enforcement officers who converged on the crime scene on April 26, 2004.

— glenn e. rice, kansascity, "Discovery of newborn in plastic sack consumes Platte County prosecutor 13 years later," 16 July 2017
A$AP Rocky walked coolly through the throng, as though temperature doesn’t affect him.

— vanityfair.com, "Jake Gyllenhaal and Julianne Moore Spent Their Tuesday Night in a Chinatown Market for Raf Simons," 12 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of throng

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"

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First Known Use: 14th century

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throng Synonyms

Synonyms

army, bike [chiefly Scottish], cram, crush, drove, flock, herd, horde, host, legion, mass, mob, multitude, press, rout, scrum, swarm, crowd

Related Words

masses, millions, rabble, rabblement, riffraff; gaggle; heap, mountain, pile; jam, logjam

Synonym Discussion of 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

throng

verb

Definition of throng

thronged; thronging play \ˈthrȯŋ-iŋ\

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

See throng defined for English-language learners

Examples of throng in a Sentence

Shoppers thronged the mall for the sales.
fans thronged the field to celebrate the win

Recent Examples of throng from the Web

About 2,000 people thronged fancy Thillens Stadium in the fall of 1951 to see the rematch of the Northbrook team and the Phillies.

— irv leavitt, chicagotribune.com, "Northbrook Little Leaguers reflect on playing ball in the 1950s," 29 Aug. 2017
Appeal to Supporters Yingluck on Thursday urged her supporters to avoid thronging the court complex in Bangkok, as General Prayuth Chan-Ocha’s military administration steps up security to avert unrest.

— sunil jagtiani, Bloomberg.com, "Thailand on Edge Ahead of Verdict Against Former Prime Minister," 24 Aug. 2017
Witnesses said the white van zigzagged at high speed down Las Ramblas, a busy avenue thronged with tourists, knocking down pedestrians.

— pilar suarez and andrés gonzález, The Christian Science Monitor, "ISIS claims credit for Barcelona van attack," 18 Aug. 2017
As the two fighters have settled into their desert training camps, the crowds have thronged along with the publicity machine.

— TIME.com, "The Spectacle in Sin City," 18 Aug. 2017
The location is slated to debut later this year, giving the tourists who throng to the site a chance to buy Ivanka Trump merchandise.

— Fortune, "Ivanka Trump’s Brand Is Opening a New Store in Trump Tower," 10 Aug. 2017
KENT, Ohio -- Thousands of visitors thronged the streets of downtown Kent on Saturday for the second annual Kent Potterfest, an event staged by Main Street Kent in celebration of all things Harry Potter and Hogwarts.

— thomas ondrey, cleveland.com, "Harry Potter's world comes to life at Kent Potterfest (photos)," 29 July 2017
Tens of thousands of Parisians had thronged the streets to cheer Pershing on his June 13 arrival.

— erick trickey, Smithsonian, "“I Hope It Is Not Too Late”: How the U.S. Decided to Send Millions of Troops Into World War I," 12 June 2017
The press takes an occasional careless glance at us, and passes to the more colorful pageants thronging the stage of events.

— rosa inocencio smith, The Atlantic, "The Atlantic Daily: Terror and Twitter," 5 June 2017