Synonyms of horde

horde

noun

ˈhȯrd 

as in swarm

a great number of persons or creatures massed together

a horde of mosquitoes

hordes of tourists from the cruise ship crowded the shops and cafes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• swarm
• throng
• crowd
• flock
• mob
• legion
• multitude
• army
• herd
• mass
• masses
• host
• rout
• crush
• press
• bike
• drove
• millions
• scrum
• cram
• rabble
• gaggle
• pile
• mountain
• heap
• riffraff
• rabblement
• jam
• logjam

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun horde differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of horde are crowd, crush, mob, and throng. While all these words mean "an assembled multitude," throng and horde suggest movement and pushing.

a throng of reporters

a horde of shoppers

When is it sensible to use crowd instead of horde?

The synonyms crowd and horde are sometimes interchangeable, but crowd implies a close gathering and pressing together.

a crowd gathered

When might crush be a better fit than horde?

The words crush and horde can be used in similar contexts, but crush emphasizes the compactness of the group, the difficulty of individual movement, and the attendant discomfort.

a crush of fans

When can mob be used instead of horde?

The meanings of mob and horde largely overlap; however, mob implies a disorderly crowd with the potential for violence.

an angry mob

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of horde

And since the album came out, hordes of fans have turned into armchair investigators, trying to assess which songs may contain AI. —Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 1 Apr. 2026

The Supergirl trailer shows him hootin' and hollerin' while doing donuts on his cycle and whipping his chain weapon around a horde of assailants. —Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Mar. 2026

Us senior surfers need to stick together to hold off the hordes of nasty agro kidbots that are violently intent on world domination and the spread of nuclear surf rabies and mad Red Bull disease. —Corky Carroll, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2026

Content aggregator Digg, which was in beta ahead of its comeback, was recently forced to pause operations and lay off staff in response to the horde of bots on its platform. —Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 22 Mar. 2026