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

Hunter’s son Joseph, 11, said that his dad has become such a celebrity at his school that staff members have to act as a buffer lest he be mauled by a horde of elementary school kids. —Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 26 Aug. 2025

Even in places like Nazaré and Amarante, far away from the hordes of tourists at bigger cities like Lisbon and Porto, locals were accommodating in English, Spanish and Portuguese. —Josh Rivera, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025

In one stunning shot, two hordes of warriors on rival sides of a conflict are seen from afar, like two waves crashing into each other. —Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 22 Aug. 2025

Transporting the action to Japan’s postwar economic boom, Kurosawa examined class differences in the country, and while Lee uses the text to comment on the haves and have-nots too, his focus is trained on the 21st century attention economy dictated by the social media hordes. —Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 14 Aug. 2025