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
Sanders moved to Vermont, year-round and for good, in 1968, when droves of young people from all over the country headed for the hills.
—
Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
The hospitals remained open, hiring droves of temporary nurses to try to fill the labor gap.
—David R. Martin, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Join the droves of Amazon shoppers buying cozy Hanes sweatshirts while popular pieces are going for $15 or less.
—Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
Korea, after all, is where the term originated, and droves of K-beauty products are formulated specifically to achieve ultimate clarity, bounciness, and light-reflecting dewiness.
—Sophie Wirt, InStyle, 5 Jan. 2026
America’s fiscal trajectory, namely its debt burden, has been a growing concern for the likes of JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, as well as droves of economists and Wall Street analysts.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
Although both groups enjoyed only marginal support in the golden years of the Republic, the crisis of the early 1930s led droves of disillusioned voters into the arms of these parties offering radical solutions.
—Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Debates have raged in the busy industry program, standby ticket queues have snaked outside venues for the hottest premieres and the stars — in their droves — have been out in force and on major charm offensives, with distributors using the fest to launch both awards and release campaigns.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
The word spread like wildfire across social media, sending droves of Swifties to her website.
—Hadley Hitson, Nashville Tennessean, 10 Oct. 2025
Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
The hospitals remained open, hiring droves of temporary nurses to try to fill the labor gap.
—David R. Martin, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Join the droves of Amazon shoppers buying cozy Hanes sweatshirts while popular pieces are going for $15 or less.
—Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
Korea, after all, is where the term originated, and droves of K-beauty products are formulated specifically to achieve ultimate clarity, bounciness, and light-reflecting dewiness.
—Sophie Wirt, InStyle, 5 Jan. 2026
America’s fiscal trajectory, namely its debt burden, has been a growing concern for the likes of JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, as well as droves of economists and Wall Street analysts.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
Although both groups enjoyed only marginal support in the golden years of the Republic, the crisis of the early 1930s led droves of disillusioned voters into the arms of these parties offering radical solutions.
—Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Debates have raged in the busy industry program, standby ticket queues have snaked outside venues for the hottest premieres and the stars — in their droves — have been out in force and on major charm offensives, with distributors using the fest to launch both awards and release campaigns.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
The word spread like wildfire across social media, sending droves of Swifties to her website.
—Hadley Hitson, Nashville Tennessean, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for droves
Noun
-
More than twenty‑five thousand people crowded into Shibe Park, including throngs of young people who made the gathering feel more like a festival than a political convention.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Tuesday marks 40 years since throngs of Chicagoans braved subzero wind chills to welcome home the Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In fact, some flocks overwinter as far north as Canada.—
Rita Pelczar,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Jan. 2026
-
For a real birdwatching activity, fill a seed bag with thistle and watch flocks of them dart around the feeder and feast with fervor.—
Kier Holmes,
Martha Stewart,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The 236-foot former drug-runner ship Hilma Hooker offers one of the most impressive wreck dives in the region, though the vertical walls at The Cliff, vibrant reefs at Sweet Dreams, and swarms of sealife at Salt Pier are just as unforgettable.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Jan. 2026
-
The system uses several 50 kW industrial laser units to create a single powerful beam that kills drone swarms, cruise missiles, and fast-moving threats from a long distance.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Each booth offered a brief refuge from the hordes moving steadily through the aisles.—
Tim Corlett,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Only hordes of irate New York sports fans could have brokered that détente so quickly.—
Scott Soshnick,
Sportico.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
For now, Telluride is open, the snow is skiing well, and crowds are thin.—
Spencer Wilson,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Noise and crowds were replaced by the sounds of lapping waves and seagull cries.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Droves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/droves. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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