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
In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-​skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-​skinned developing world.
—
Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
In the postseason, the dynamic is more like a pro league, with open locker rooms, one-on-one opportunities and hordes of reporters.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 5 Apr. 2026
That collective mood change was evident before tipoff against the San Antonio Spurs, when the baseline buzz — and the crowded hordes of cell phone videographers who come with it — was back in full force.
—Sam Amick, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
And since the album came out, hordes of fans have turned into armchair investigators, trying to assess which songs may contain AI.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 1 Apr. 2026
Us senior surfers need to stick together to hold off the hordes of nasty agro kidbots that are violently intent on world domination and the spread of nuclear surf rabies and mad Red Bull disease.
—Corky Carroll, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2026
Aside from royally pissing off hordes of fans (with an average attendance of 25,048 per game, MLB turnstile spins in ’95 were down 20% compared to the league’s pre-strike mark of 31,240), the strike also coincided with a series of media shakeups.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Some are good for taking out enemy hordes, while others focus on lower shields to do more damage.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2026
But not every beach is created equal and some trade hordes of people for relaxing waves and wide-open stretches of sand.
—Kristine Hansen, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2026
Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
In the postseason, the dynamic is more like a pro league, with open locker rooms, one-on-one opportunities and hordes of reporters.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 5 Apr. 2026
That collective mood change was evident before tipoff against the San Antonio Spurs, when the baseline buzz — and the crowded hordes of cell phone videographers who come with it — was back in full force.
—Sam Amick, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
And since the album came out, hordes of fans have turned into armchair investigators, trying to assess which songs may contain AI.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 1 Apr. 2026
Us senior surfers need to stick together to hold off the hordes of nasty agro kidbots that are violently intent on world domination and the spread of nuclear surf rabies and mad Red Bull disease.
—Corky Carroll, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2026
Aside from royally pissing off hordes of fans (with an average attendance of 25,048 per game, MLB turnstile spins in ’95 were down 20% compared to the league’s pre-strike mark of 31,240), the strike also coincided with a series of media shakeups.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Some are good for taking out enemy hordes, while others focus on lower shields to do more damage.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2026
But not every beach is created equal and some trade hordes of people for relaxing waves and wide-open stretches of sand.
—Kristine Hansen, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hordes
Noun
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The race draws massive crowds into the city, and there are several events as throngs of people visit the city on Marathon Monday.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
19 Apr. 2026
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This is a popular sunset spot, so expect throngs of other tourists (but don't worry, seeing the spectacle with fellow travelers can actually be quite fun).—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The book was completed months before Anthropic’s redlines generated new interest in autonomous-drone swarms and killer robots, but even then the writing was on the wall.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2026
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The power of drone swarms on battlefields has been witnessed in multiple wars to date.—
Abhishek Bhardwaj,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The gradual drop-off in prices is due to a declining number of bird flu cases following a major outbreak in commercial flocks and egg-laying hens last winter.—
Claire Malon,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
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Larger birds and flocks, however, can be another story.—
Meena Thiruvengadam,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Thousands of runners are taking part in the 2026 Jersey City Marathon and Half Marathon today, which means there are street closures and crowds throughout the area.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
19 Apr. 2026
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Many families enjoy visiting during summer vacation, but late spring and early fall are a good time to go for less expensive lodging and fewer crowds.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hordes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hordes. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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