as in throngs
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
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Recent Examples of hordes
Expect hordes of people on weekends during prime daytime hours, and likely a short to moderate wait around noon even on weekdays.
—
Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
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
Where Game of Thrones the HBO series was a fantasy juggernaut with sweeping shots of warrior hordes and big twists, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is told from a single viewpoint as Sir Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg wander through Westeros while the Targaryen dynasty rules the Iron Throne.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 12 Jan. 2026
Theme parks use hordes of performers to bring their worlds to life.
—Sasha Richie, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026
The boom spilled into credit markets as well, with firms only tangentially linked to defense attracting hordes of prospective lenders.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
Bardot gave birth while trapped in her Paris apartment, outside of which hordes of photographers were camped awaiting the momentous event.
—Lee Smith, CNN Money, 28 Dec. 2025
Even Mount Fuji doubled its entry fee in March to curb the number of reckless hikers, and small towns put up 80-foot walls to stop hordes of tourists from taking photos of the country's tallest mountain.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025
Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
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
Where Game of Thrones the HBO series was a fantasy juggernaut with sweeping shots of warrior hordes and big twists, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is told from a single viewpoint as Sir Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg wander through Westeros while the Targaryen dynasty rules the Iron Throne.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 12 Jan. 2026
Theme parks use hordes of performers to bring their worlds to life.
—Sasha Richie, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026
The boom spilled into credit markets as well, with firms only tangentially linked to defense attracting hordes of prospective lenders.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
Bardot gave birth while trapped in her Paris apartment, outside of which hordes of photographers were camped awaiting the momentous event.
—Lee Smith, CNN Money, 28 Dec. 2025
Even Mount Fuji doubled its entry fee in March to curb the number of reckless hikers, and small towns put up 80-foot walls to stop hordes of tourists from taking photos of the country's tallest mountain.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hordes
Noun
-
The monks captivated much of the country and even world, drawing throngs of supporters in cities from across the trek with their simple message of peace, compassion and unity.—
Sarah Bahari,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The 59-year-old grumbled that gladhanding throngs of supporters in dusty villages had left him prey to bugs and viruses.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The design can scale to larger swarms.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Bodies were found throughout the building, some stacked on top of one another, with swarms of bugs and decomposition fluid covering the floors, investigators said.—
Jesse Bedayn,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Bird flocks have been on the rebound after last year’s avian flu outbreak, but that has farmers suddenly selling at a loss.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
-
But the most eye-catching elements are the flocks of colored blobby shapes that appear to dart back and forth across their surfaces, like jellyfish swimming back and forth.—
Benjamin Lima,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
And everyone needs to look out for bicyclists, who drive fast and rarely slow down to maneuver around crowds.—
Katie James Watkinson,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Protests that broke out across the nation spilled into downtown Aurora, where buildings were vandalized and tear gas filled the air as the APD worked to disperse crowds.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hordes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hordes. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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