droves

noun

plural of drove
1
as in throngs
a great number of persons or creatures massed together people flocked to the annual festival in droves

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in flocks
a group of domestic animals assembled or herded together a drove of cattle

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 droves After posting a picture on a random rock in the Turkish highlands on Instagram, Salah has transformed the spot into a tourist attraction, with droves of fans making the pilgrimage. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2026 Earlier this summer, Google’s Debug program made headlines by applying to the EPA for permits to release droves of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes across California and Florida. — New Atlas, 1 Oct. 2026 At a time of massive industry upheaval, most observers believe that the company will have to lay off droves of workers to bring its costs down. — Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026 The two films, directed by 20-something-year-olds who came from YouTube, exploded all box-office expectations while ushering in droves of Gen Z audiences back to cinemas. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 26 Sep. 2026 These major metropolitan areas have strong housing markets, with droves of wealthier buyers keeping housing supplies in those areas low. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026 Feathers and florals came in droves with this latest collection, appearing on everything from boudoir-style dresses and wraps to red-carpet-ready pieces like the one Miller wore on Tuesday night in New York City. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026 When promoter Live Nation couldn’t keep up with the droves of ticketbuyers, a second show on Sunday was added. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026 Voters are abandoning the CDU –– the mainstream conservative party of Angela Merkel and Konrad Adenauer –– in their droves in favour of the fringes, most notably the far-right, pro-Russia and anti-migration Alternative for Germany (AfD). — Sebastian Shukla, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for droves
  1. throngs
  2. flocks
  3. swarms
  4. hordes
  5. crowds
Noun
  • 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
  • The cows made their way to the altar — with the handlers helping to guide them with hay — through throngs of people and a few mascots sitting in seats and lined up on the streets, who stopped by just to see the unique occasion.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of throngs
Noun
  • Infected flocks are quarantined, and usually the birds are destroyed.
    — Allison Gibson, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The pinkish-gray sky began to reveal flocks of ducks heading out to feed.
    — Kody Lostroh, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of flocks
Noun
  • The astronauts were also on the lookout for swarms of lunar dust.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Already that has included key battlefield support for Iran – and lessons of drone and missile swarms learned from Russia’s experience in Ukraine – in exchange for Russia’s use of Iran’s game-changing Shahed drones.
    — Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of swarms
Noun
  • More mature than the party hordes that roam this part of town, the vibe here is the casual elegance that blends drinking rum out of a pineapple while retaining your sophistication while doing it.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Their backing attracted hordes of counterrevolutionaries and Mubarak loyalists.
    — Abdelrahman ElGendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of hordes
Noun
  • One year after its opening, The Louis, its Shanghai megastore shaped like a cruise ship, continues to draw crowds.
    — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Trump has largely steered clear of political battlegrounds in his travels so far, focusing on red states and friendly crowds at a moment when Republicans worry that his unpopularity could drag down the party.
    — Sagar Meghani, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of crowds

Browse Nearby Words

drovers
droves
drown
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Cite this Entry

“Droves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/droves. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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