throng

noun

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\ ˈthrȯŋ

Definition of throng

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a multitude of assembled persons

b : a large number : host

2a : a crowding together of many persons

b : a pressing increase of activity this throng of business— S. R. Crockett

throng

verb

thronged; thronging\ ˈthrȯŋ-iŋ

Definition of throng (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about throng

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Synonyms for throng

Synonyms: Noun

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

Synonyms: Verb

Choose the Right Synonym for throng

Noun

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 Louie and other community organizers spoke before a throng of television news cameras. — Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, "Can California's new AG, lawmakers do anything to stop anti-Asian violence?," 1 Apr. 2021 Residents in the nearby apartments peered at the throng of cameras and television trucks. — David Kelly, Los Angeles Times, "When grocery shopping ends in death: Boulder mass shooting shatters town’s fragile peace," 23 Mar. 2021 Mayorga found them on the open-air platform of the city’s downtown bus station, amid a throng of other migrant adults and children awaiting rides to the U.S. heartland. — Dudley Althaus, San Antonio Express-News, "'Everyone wants to come': Why so many Central Americans are crossing the border," 20 Mar. 2021 The usual throng of fans was absent as teams headed down a trail that will eventually bring them back to Deshka Landing instead of the traditional finish line in Nome. — Marc Lester, Anchorage Daily News, "As Iditarod mushers begin their 852-mile run, getting to the race at all feels like a victory," 8 Mar. 2021 The spirited duel unfolded Friday on Field 1 at Camelback Ranch, in front of a throng of players, a curious group of front office officials, a few reporters and a flock of loud geese. — Los Angeles Times, "How high are Mookie Betts’ expectations? He says he was merely ‘serviceable’ in 2020," 26 Feb. 2021 To be sure, the city has reaped huge rewards from tourism, the federal government’s devotion to the city’s parks and culture, and the throng of businesses whose prosperity rests on the federal government. — New York Times, "The 51st State? Washington Revisits an Uphill Cause With New Fervor," 10 Jan. 2021 This weekend, every exhibitor must wear a face mask at the American Kennel Club National Championship, the popular canine competition that is being hosted at the convention center without the usual throng of spectators. — Gabrielle Russon, orlandosentinel.com, "Officials hope body-building competition signals rebound for Orlando conventions," 12 Dec. 2020 The locals: Georgia always offers an impressive throng of nominees — not just performers, but producers and songwriters as well. — Melissa Ruggieri, ajc, "The 2021 Grammy Awards: performers, nominees, location adapt to COVID conditions," 11 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb In the past, even when gun battles between security forces and militants became pervasive, international tourists continued to throng Kashmir’s ski slopes, houseboats and artisan pashmina and papier-mâché shops. — New York Times, "In Kashmir’s Stillness, Hopes Wither and Houseboats Sink," 11 Jan. 2021 Noticeably absent now are the tourists who usually throng there, not for New York, but for them — for Savannah and Hoda and Al — lining the street behind their ground-level studio, straining to make their way into the screen. — Sridhar Pappu, New York Times, "Savannah Guthrie Is Feeling Lucky," 14 Nov. 2020 The authorities are warning holidaymakers to practice social distancing, but this week market places continued to throng with shoppers ahead of the festive season. — Julia Hollingsworth And Esha Mitra, CNN, "As India prepares to celebrate Diwali, experts warn that coronavirus cases could rise," 13 Nov. 2020 His remarkable study on the German aristocracy and the Nazis, Vom König zum Führer (2003), thronged with aristocratic collaborators but left the Hohenzollern prince on the margins. — David Motadel, The New York Review of Books, "Helping Hitler: An Exchange," 24 Mar. 2020 Last weekend, ahead of the lockdown, thousands of people thronged Ikea while restaurants were packed for one last hurrah. — Iain Marlow, Bloomberg.com, "Hong Kong’s Edge Over Singapore Shows Early Social Distancing Works," 28 Apr. 2020 All around Lilja along Skanegatan Street in the Sodermalm neighborhood of Stockholm, younger Swedes thronged bars, restaurants, and a crowded park last week, drinking in the sun. — Thomas Erdbrinkand Christina Anderson, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Life has to go on’: How Sweden has faced the virus without a lockdown," 28 Apr. 2020 Many more thronged the streets around the stadium, heady in their jubilation and desperate to be a witness to this incredible moment. — Olu Alake, Quartz Africa, "Forty years ago, Bob Marley paid his own way to play Zimbabwe’s iconic independence concert," 18 Apr. 2020 Nonetheless, thousands of attendees still thronged an exhibition center for the four-day convention, which opened Thursday. — Washington Post, "Geneva auto show, other big events canceled amid virus fears," 28 Feb. 2020

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.

History and Etymology for throng

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

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