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
The book, which is from Australia, follows Bee and her fellow runaways, who discover a new friend, Paco, is a Lost Boy from Neverland who needs them to fight hordes of pirates led by a merciless new leader.
—
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
Enjoy large-scale hack-and-slash combat, infused with the unique Zonai technology to devastate enemy hordes.
—PC Magazine, 1 Nov. 2025
The event drew in hordes of celebrities, including Emily Ratajkowski, Brooks Nader, Cher, Viola Davis, Elizabeth Olsen and Venus Williams.
—Kelsey Stewart, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2025
More important, though, is the fact that the judge who posited that hordes of deserters could follow Vovchenko’s example seems to be overstepping his role.
—Air Mail, 25 Oct. 2025
Back in 1961, residents of Capitola woke up to find that hordes of black seabirds were slamming into cars, windows and people's homes and dying.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
The birds have survived in hordes in the deserts, but civilization nearly always spells their doom.
—Jack O'Connor, Outdoor Life, 23 Oct. 2025
With sunflower sea stars suddenly all but gone from their home range, sea urchin numbers exploded, and the hungry urchin hordes descended upon kelp forests.
—JSTOR Daily, 17 Oct. 2025
Typically, by the time the first scene hits the screen, handfuls (more likely hordes) of people have had first looks including cast, crew, friends, family, media, agents, managers, publicists, etc.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
Enjoy large-scale hack-and-slash combat, infused with the unique Zonai technology to devastate enemy hordes.
—PC Magazine, 1 Nov. 2025
The event drew in hordes of celebrities, including Emily Ratajkowski, Brooks Nader, Cher, Viola Davis, Elizabeth Olsen and Venus Williams.
—Kelsey Stewart, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2025
More important, though, is the fact that the judge who posited that hordes of deserters could follow Vovchenko’s example seems to be overstepping his role.
—Air Mail, 25 Oct. 2025
Back in 1961, residents of Capitola woke up to find that hordes of black seabirds were slamming into cars, windows and people's homes and dying.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
The birds have survived in hordes in the deserts, but civilization nearly always spells their doom.
—Jack O'Connor, Outdoor Life, 23 Oct. 2025
With sunflower sea stars suddenly all but gone from their home range, sea urchin numbers exploded, and the hungry urchin hordes descended upon kelp forests.
—JSTOR Daily, 17 Oct. 2025
Typically, by the time the first scene hits the screen, handfuls (more likely hordes) of people have had first looks including cast, crew, friends, family, media, agents, managers, publicists, etc.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hordes
Noun
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Videos from Isfahan, Arak, and other cities show throngs of hijab-less women outdoors.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
7 Nov. 2025
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By offering a solution to the throngs of independent resale stores that followed in the footsteps of buy-and-sell pioneers like Round Two, OS Group has been able to carve a lucrative niche in an otherwise crowded space.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The exercise also featured swarms of first-person-view (FPV) suicide drones launching precision strikes against mock enemy fortifications.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
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Twenty-two earthquakes were recorded in the Kamchatka region within a single day in early November 2025, demonstrating the potential for earthquake swarms in highly active zones.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The bird flu affected some turkey flocks earlier, leaving the inventory lower this year than last.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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The virus can spread easily when infected wild birds mix with commercial or backyard flocks.—
NPR,
NPR,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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As the confrontation escalated, agents deployed a flash-bang device while crowds threw bricks and paint cans from rooftops.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
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Zion National Park is stunning and peaceful in winter, with fewer crowds and rare access to scenic drives by personal vehicle.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hordes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hordes. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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