crowding

verb

present participle of crowd
1
as in cramming
to fit (people or things) into a tight space crowded all the boats into the harbor before the storm struck

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in huddling
to gather into a closely packed group everyone crowded around to see the baby being shown off by his proud parents

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 crowding About twenty men packed the space, leaning on shoulders and crowding the wall. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 July 2026 Other pictures on unofficial Telegram channels showed residents crowding into underground stations. — Reuters, NBC news, 2 July 2026 Offside was brought in to stop ‘goal hanging’ in the sport’s early years, which had created the unedifying spectacle of players perpetually crowding the goalkeeper. — Graham Scott, New York Times, 2 July 2026 Instead of crowding the nightstands with table lamps, hang wall sconces or pendant lights to make the room feel lighter and more open. — Kristin Hohenadel, The Spruce, 29 June 2026 However, recent research by Kölbel, Heeb, Ramelli and Vasileva finds a modest crowding-in effect, where responsible investing reinforces public support for public policy. — Bhakti Mirchandani, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 Hundreds of proliferating nonprofits—focused on election integrity and democratic governance, and largely sharing the same mission and drawing from the same donors—are crowding an already bustling ecosystem of existing nonprofits, coalitions, and think tanks. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026 Resident cites road, school crowding concerns Resident Kacey Pope urged the board to recommend denying the rezonings, and no residents spoke in favor of the projects. — Joe Marusak june 27, Charlotte Observer, 27 June 2026 Photos also showed the bees crowding on nearby trees, weighing down on some tree limbs and branches. — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 23 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crowding
  1. cramming
  2. flocking
  3. huddling
  4. squeezing
  5. invading
  6. piling
  7. loading
  8. swarming
Verb
  • An early 2022 op-ed in the University of Calgary’s student newspaper described the idea as the antithesis of hustle culture, one that finds satisfaction in mundane tasks rather than cramming productivity into every waking moment.
    — Allison Palmer July 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026
  • This is an impressive chip, cramming nearly 100 billion transistors onto a piece of silicon roughly the size of a fingernail.
    — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
Definition of cramming
Verb
  • The week’s biggest stories World Cup 2026 World Cup fans are flocking to classics In-N-Out, Erewhon and Trader Joe’s for a taste of California.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
  • Meanwhile, the French are flocking to see a two-part, five-hour-long movie, La Bataille de Gaulle, which retells the story—both anguished and heroic—of defeat, collaboration, resistance, and liberation.
    — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026
Definition of flocking
Verb
  • Before games, May said that Michigan’s coaching staff developed a habit of huddling up and reminding themselves to be confident because Johnson was on their team.
    — Christian Clark, New York Times, 2 July 2026
  • Teams from the two companies have been huddling for months to plan for the melding of the two operations as soon as Paramount receives all of its regulatory approvals.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of huddling
Verb
  • Planning a Broadway show night in New York City means squeezing a full day into the blocks around Times Square, and the right pre-Broadway show itinerary can turn a two-hour ticket into a memorable outing.
    — Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 13 July 2026
  • The result is a new generation of patients planning trips around treatments rather than squeezing appointments into an existing vacation.
    — Meggen Harris, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026
Definition of squeezing
Verb
  • As President Whitmore, Bill Pullman gives an all-timer inspirational speech, hops in a fighter jet, and destroys invading aliens.
    — Maggie Fremont, Entertainment Weekly, 3 July 2026
  • Light eight lanterns if the British are invading by land, but running late.
    — Evan Allgood, New Yorker, 1 July 2026
Definition of invading
Verb
  • Our new neighbors have been out of town for several weeks, and their newspapers keep piling up outside their home.
    — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 13 July 2026
  • The craziest part about their first meeting is that McGregor leaned on wrestling, landing four takedowns and piling up more than six minutes of control.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
Definition of piling
Verb
  • Riyadh has been diverting about four million barrels a day of crude oil from their east-west pipeline over to Yanbu, loading tankers, many of which are going out the Red Sea, data provided by Lipow showed.
    — Lee Ying Shan,Sam Meredith, CNBC, 14 July 2026
  • Add 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide to the washer drum or the automatic bleach dispenser before loading white clothes into the washer.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 14 July 2026
Definition of loading
Verb
  • Going into the match, images of Immigration and Customs Enforcement swarming neighborhoods, Home Depot parking lots and car washes were fresh on the minds of many.
    — Alfredo Corchado, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
  • Winged ants are often confused with swarming termites, which require a different management strategy.
    — The San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 July 2026
Definition of swarming

Browse Nearby Words

crowded
crowding
crowd-pleasing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Crowding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crowding. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on crowding

Nglish: Translation of crowding for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of obdurate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All