crowd 1 of 2

Definition of crowdnext
1
as in throng
a great number of persons or creatures massed together a huge crowd of fans was on hand to greet the returning World Series champions

Synonyms & Similar Words

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1
as in to stuff
to fit (people or things) into a tight space crowded all the boats into the harbor before the storm struck

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
as in to flock
to move upon or fill (something) in great numbers cars crowded the roads over the long holiday weekend

Synonyms & Similar Words

3

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun crowd differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of crowd are crush, horde, mob, and throng. While all these words mean "an assembled multitude," crowd implies a close gathering and pressing together.

a crowd gathered

Where would crush be a reasonable alternative to crowd?

The words crush and crowd are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, crush emphasizes the compactness of the group, the difficulty of individual movement, and the attendant discomfort.

a crush of fans

When might mob be a better fit than crowd?

While in some cases nearly identical to crowd, mob implies a disorderly crowd with the potential for violence.

an angry mob

How do throng and horde relate to one another, in the sense of crowd?

Both throng and horde suggest movement and pushing.

a throng of reporters
a horde of shoppers

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of crowd
Noun
Later, she’s brought in a police car to a nearby pond, strapped to an excavator and dunked into the water as a crowd of anti-immigrant protestors cheer on the public execution. — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2026 Plus, at nearly 5 stars on Amazon reviews, C2000 is a crowd favorite. — Carlos Mejia, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026
Verb
The tray is perfectly proportioned, large enough for a laptop or food without crowding those in the back. — Tyler Hayes, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026 False certainty is common enough in political life, and history is crowded with confident warnings that proved wrong. — Beverly Gage, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for crowd
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crowd
Noun
  • Pawlikowski accepted his statuette from Chiwetel Ejiofor and Nicole Kidman, wiped his brow, and addressed the shining throng.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Leo's visit to Paris came as a birthday present for Jean-Claude Farnabe, who turned 63 on Saturday and spent the morning securing a spot amid the throngs of people.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 26 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Hochul's announcement came shortly after dozens of students and community members spent hours demanding transparency and accountability from university leaders at a forum sponsored by Cornell's student government.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
  • According to a blog post on Friday by Matt Garman, Amazon’s CEO of its cloud computing arm, Amazon has already spent more than $1 billion in communities with a large data center presence over the past three years.
    — Anne D'Innocenzio, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The decision was ultimately reversed by a New York Supreme Court judge, on the grounds that Warren violated the populace’s religious liberties.
    — Clare Whitton, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The entire populace is beholden to Billy’s stepmom, Zoe Macon (Poorna Jagannathan), their resident Manhunter in hiding.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 15 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • In earlier local elections, ballot boxes were stuffed or stolen, and paper ballots were routinely falsified, according to Brazil's electoral authority.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
  • This puzzle is stuffed with nuance, pleasing crosses and a lot of simply terrific, ridiculously evocative stuff — for example, a jarring assortment of lovely trivia intersecting with some hideous ailments at more than one juncture.
    — Caitlin Lovinger, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Teyana Taylor flocked with the best of them at the 2026 MTV VMAs on Sunday night, wearing a design by Zuhair Murad to the awards show at Los Angeles’s Peacock Theater.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Consumers flocked to cinemas equipped with Imax’s rickety old 50 mm film projectors, while those that were unable to snag those coveted tickets sought out Imax theaters that were digital but could show the film in its full-scale, immersive glory.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Photos shared on social media showed dozens of construction workers huddled together.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • As for Canada, International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu spent his time huddling with other counterparts, since a different official is spearheading negotiations with Greer amid the countries’ escalating trade war.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The allied soldiers performed well in a scenario that mimicked previous conflicts with limited air threats, but their systems were not designed for the large drone swarms of modern combat.
    — Dan Driscoll, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2026
  • First, OpenAI revealed that a swarm of its experimental AI models broke out of a testing environment and hacked another AI platform, Hugging Face, without human direction or knowledge.
    — Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • That's exactly what made the first season of The Mandalorian feel so special, and Galactic Racer hits that same stride by exploring a galactic underground racing ring, where a bunch of daredevils hurtle across planets while blowing each other up.
    — Hayes Madsen, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • By naming the product of two mergers Skydance, David Ellison relegates two of Hollywood’s founding studios to a sub-brand stew and attempts to erase a bunch of controversial hires.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Crowd.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crowd. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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