Thesaurus results for HORDE

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

horde

noun

ˈhȯrd

Definition of horde

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

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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

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 horde The Hitlerite hordes are murdering and outraging the peaceful inhabitants of our country, having no mercy on women, children or old people. — Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026 Just weeks ago, Colombian-Mexican restaurant Paisa MX welcomed hordes of World Cup spectators. — Kansas City Star, 10 Aug. 2026 The president also frequently recounts that hordes of women, including journalists, Cabinet members and administration officials, used to complain to him about their high heels getting stuck in the mud in the old, grassy Rose Garden. — ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026 Video from Hilton’s neighborhood taken by NBC South Florida showed a horde of sheriff’s patrol vehicles along a street blocked off by yellow tape amid the response. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for horde

Recent Examples of Synonyms for horde

Noun

The growth of agentic AI and the rise of cyber hacks orchestrated by agents are forcing companies to invest in more tools to manage swarms of new identities.

— Samantha Subin, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
This phrase is a complicated way of simply acknowledging the fact that Pluto sits within the Kuiper Belt, a vast swarm of bodies that go around the sun in similar orbits beyond Neptune.

— Mike Brown, Scientific American, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of swarm

Noun

Why then, are throngs of armchair analysts online pointing fingers at her ex-husband, Patrick, blaming him for the deaths?

— Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
The new 47-key Orient Express Venezia is an experience, housed within Palazzo Donà Giovannelli in the oldest and northernmost Cannaregio district, drawing high-end travelers away from the throngs.

— Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of throng

Noun

Hvar banned its circuit of thumping DJ parties in 2024 in an effort to rebrand itself, but August’s high tourist season in Hvar Town still draws heavy crowds.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026
So too the buzz around the event last year and this, with first-round matches in 2025 attracting large and engrossed crowds.

— James Hansen, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of crowd

Noun

In Placer County, at least 12 of Lincoln’s flock cameras have been vandalized this year.

— Haley Parsley August 22, Sacbee.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Deputies with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office identified a suspect’s vehicle, which was involved in a shooting Wednesday in Odessa, after the vehicle was flagged by a flock camera, according to a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office.

— Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of flock

Noun

The would-be assassin was arrested by police and led investigators to two members of a Russian mob network who had enlisted him on behalf of Iran.

— Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026
Still, in a great credit to their organization, the Kansas City Chiefs stuck by him while others may have immediately cut him to avoid angering the sports media mob.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of mob

Articles Related to horde

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“Horde.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horde. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of horde

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