1
as in throngs
a great number of persons or creatures massed together
people flocked to the annual festival in droves
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Recent Examples of droves
By October, players will have abandoned this in droves.
—
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
At 3-0 down in a 3-2 defeat to Atalanta, supporters headed for the exits, leaving in droves.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 12 May 2026
Across China, Japan and South Korea, young people left their countryside homes in droves to find work in major cities, often leaving behind emptying villages occupied by a shrinking number of elderly people.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
But creativity demands discipline — something Diggins will provide in droves.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026
The Allegheny National Forest, located in northwest Pennsylvania, is home to the wondrous Photinus carolinus species of synchronous lightning bugs—the same ones that bring droves to the Smokies each year.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 9 May 2026
Part satirical, part political, the BAFTA-winning film and subsequent album, Fine Art — a level up from their 2018 Irish-language mixtape 3CAG — solidified Kneecap’s place in music, earning them fans worldwide who come out in droves to their gigs and turning them into a popular festival draw.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 6 May 2026
But across the country, families—first in smatterings, now in droves—are declining the single, inexpensive injection given at birth to newborns to help their blood clot.
—Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 6 May 2026
But across the country, families — first in smatterings, now in droves — are declining the single, inexpensive injection given at birth to newborns to help their blood clot.
—Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica, 6 May 2026
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
At 3-0 down in a 3-2 defeat to Atalanta, supporters headed for the exits, leaving in droves.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 12 May 2026
Across China, Japan and South Korea, young people left their countryside homes in droves to find work in major cities, often leaving behind emptying villages occupied by a shrinking number of elderly people.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
But creativity demands discipline — something Diggins will provide in droves.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026
The Allegheny National Forest, located in northwest Pennsylvania, is home to the wondrous Photinus carolinus species of synchronous lightning bugs—the same ones that bring droves to the Smokies each year.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 9 May 2026
Part satirical, part political, the BAFTA-winning film and subsequent album, Fine Art — a level up from their 2018 Irish-language mixtape 3CAG — solidified Kneecap’s place in music, earning them fans worldwide who come out in droves to their gigs and turning them into a popular festival draw.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 6 May 2026
But across the country, families—first in smatterings, now in droves—are declining the single, inexpensive injection given at birth to newborns to help their blood clot.
—Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 6 May 2026
But across the country, families — first in smatterings, now in droves — are declining the single, inexpensive injection given at birth to newborns to help their blood clot.
—Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for droves
Noun
-
In general, juvenile crimes are more often committed with others, and images of roaming throngs of teens has an outsized presence in media and in the public’s amygdala.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
-
Leo was met by throngs of cheering Italians, some of whom had been waiting since the middle of the night to greet him.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
The album, which of course features flocks of pigeons on the cover, boasts a tighter, fuller sound than previous releases, thanks in part to production by Kenneth Blume (Geese, Idles) and Klas Åhlund (Iggy Pop, Katy Perry).—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
14 May 2026
-
Storms are also very structured and denser than flocks of birds.—
Marta Hill,
Scientific American,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Scientists have developed living microrobot swarms made from algae and nanoparticles that can assemble into custom shapes under blue light and disperse on command with red light.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
15 May 2026
-
Subterranean, drywood and dampwood, the three most common types of termites in the United States, all have reproductive castes capable of flying in swarms.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Mikael Granlund’s goal was an unfortunate hop, and the third goal, which was scored by Ian Moore, was a wobbling slap shot through hordes of traffic.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
-
Through the project, hordes of people were confronted with the biases of facial recognition technology for the first time.—
Louis Bury,
ARTnews.com,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
The Philly crowds have been Rory-obsessed.—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
For the calmest conditions, visit in the summer, from around June to August (although late spring and autumn may bring fewer crowds).—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Droves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/droves. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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