throng

noun \ ˈthrȯŋ \

Updated on: 22 May 2018

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

Smiling for the throngs before them, changing the world one hand shake at a time.

— elizabeth holmes, Town & Country, "Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance," 14 May 2018
There is always a throng of autograph seekers waiting for players there, but Tebow figures to bring exponentially more.

— dom amore, courant.com, "As Tim Tebow Comes To Hartford, The Yard Goats Get Ready," 7 May 2018
The night was a celebration of Puerto Rican heritage, and a spirited throng created a lively rhythm section with the island beat near right field at Marlins Park.

— craig davis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Prado helps Chen make triumphant return for Marlins in win over Rockies," 29 Apr. 2018
Today, between end users, publishers and advertisers stand a throng of agencies, trading desks, demand side platforms, network exchanges and yield optimizers.

— brendan eichand, WSJ, "The Internet’s ‘Original Sin’ Endangers More Than Privacy," 27 Apr. 2018
Prince Harry spent three weeks in Malawi last summer helping move a throng of animals—including elephants, zebras, and warthogs—hundreds of miles to a national park.

— morgan evans, Harper's BAZAAR, "Prince Harry Opens Up About the One Place He Feels Most at Home," 3 Jan. 2017
West Hartford voted top festival, further evidenced by the throngs certain to attend the two-day event.

— hartford magazine, courant.com, "Best Of Hartford Magazine 2018 Winners," 28 Apr. 2018
With sunrise comes resolution: The girl invites the new student to walk to school with her, and as the two walk, they are joined by groups and then throngs of others.

— meghan cox gurdon, WSJ, "Children’s Books: Safety and Comfort in Numbers," 27 Apr. 2018
What the new, situational ethical code of the mob does, though, is to encourage people to leave their own reason and beliefs aside in favor of joining the throng.

— chris stirewalt, Fox News, "Country roads, take us home," 20 Apr. 2018

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"

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

throng Synonyms

Synonyms

army, crowd, crush, drove, flock, herd, horde, host, legion, mass, mob, multitude, press, rout, swarm;

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

Hundreds of people waving opposition banners thronged the area around the hotel where Dr. Mahathir and his allies gathered to hear the result, their victory chants cutting through the thick, humid air.

— yantoultra ngui, WSJ, "Malaysia’s Mahathir Leads Opposition to Breathtaking Election Win," 10 May 2018
But this minuscule village now contains more than two dozen restored guesthouses—many listed on Airbnb—and in high summer, visitors often throng the rickety wooden lofts of its 13th-century church.

— christopher bagley, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Bewitching Time Warp of Transylvania, Romania," 4 May 2018
The new community was a hit from the start, as thousands thronged to tour model homes in a community with a host of recreational amenities that redefined the lifestyle of older Americans.

— azcentral, "From climate to fry bread, 125 reasons to love Arizona," 15 May 2015
Long lines of people thronged the new museum, which encompasses work from both the East and West.

— molly glentzer, Houston Chronicle, "Menil Drawing Institute to open Nov. 3," 30 Apr. 2018
So when demonstrators began thronging the city’s streets on April 18th, they were surrounded by fitting targets for their ire.

— The Economist, "The violent end of Daniel Ortega’s decade of quiet," 26 Apr. 2018
The rebellion also has spread to Kentucky as teachers thronged the state Capitol Monday to protest cuts in pensions.

— sean murphy, BostonGlobe.com, "Oklahoma’s Fallin: Striking teachers like teenagers," 5 Apr. 2018
For nine days, teachers thronged the capital, at one point voting to override their own union leaders to continue the strike, the state's first by teachers since 1990.

— matt pearce, latimes.com, "Around the U.S., protesting teachers see some gains in conservative states," 15 Apr. 2018
The doctrine, and lifestyle, have proven highly attractive to many professional and prosperous Westerners, who thronged to Pune, the Bhagwan’s headquarters in India, during the 1970s.

— david sarasohn, The New Republic, "Antelope’s Last Stand," 12 Apr. 2018