hordes

noun

plural of horde
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 hordes The twentieth century industrialized advisory through hordes of ambitious young graduates and an apprenticeship model that allowed advice to be sold by those with much less viabexperience. — Albert Mikkelsen, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026 Outside of Hotel Chelsea, hordes of fans greeted this season’s cast, who have made the long-running series a cult favorite. — Lauren Sanchez, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2026 But none have had the kind of folksy humor and candor that can draw hordes of investors each year, like those attending Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting. — Josh Funk, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026 But none have had the kind of folksy humor and candor that can draw hordes of investors each year, like those attending Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026 The region draws hordes of tourists while simultaneously serving as the nation’s punchline. — Charlotte Observer, 19 Sep. 2026 In This Article On game days at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, hordes of fans can be seen gathered at a small cemetery steps away from the stadium before kickoff. — Elliott Harrell, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2026 After running the gauntlet of crash barriers and hordes of fans, guests were treated to salty French fries and greasy burgers, with gin tonics and martinis to quench their thirst. — Mary Wenthur, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026 By then, hordes of evacuees from the North Tower were walking north on Sixth Avenue to escape the terror. — Bob Kustra, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hordes
  1. throngs
  2. swarms
  3. flocks
  4. crowds
Noun
  • Leo's visit to Paris came as a birthday present for Jean-Claude Farnabe, who turned 63 on Saturday and spent the morning securing a spot amid the throngs of people.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The cows made their way to the altar — with the handlers helping to guide them with hay — through throngs of people and a few mascots sitting in seats and lined up on the streets, who stopped by just to see the unique occasion.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of throngs
Noun
  • My interview with Altman had been arranged weeks earlier, just as the first revelations emerged about swarms of rogue AI agents conspiring to hack websites.
    — Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Drone swarms were used to provide targeting information to ground units, while tactical UAVs, armed helicopters and unmanned ground vehicles coordinated attacks against simulated targets.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of swarms
Noun
  • This summer, a mosquito control company based in Silver Spring, Maryland, began introducing flocks of infertile male mosquitos in residential communities to prevent eggs from hatching.
    — Angie Orellana Hernandez, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Kramer thanked YouTube native Parsons for his film Backroom, which helped energize young audiences, and also noted how the youth demographic flocks to Academy screenings of classic cinema.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of flocks
Noun
  • This once-sleepy coastal village is now a hot spot for tourists, with legendary sunsets that attract crowds.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The huge crowds were stressful for police, who ended up working longer shifts than usual to deal with traffic, accidents, shoplifting and other issues.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of crowds

Browse Nearby Words

horde
hordes
horizon
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hordes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hordes. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of etiquette

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All