masses 1 of 2

noun

plural of mass
as in people
the body of the community as contrasted with the elite the masses demanded the elimination of tax breaks for the rich

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

masses

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of mass
as in accumulates
to gradually form into a layer, pile, or mass clouds massing on the western side of the mountain range

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for masses
  1. people
  2. accumulates
  3. crowd
  4. gathers
  5. public
  6. populace
  7. mob
Noun
  • Another 13 people were wounded on downtown Sacramento’s K Street and 10th Street, in what became the deadliest mass shooting in the city’s history.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2026
  • Organizers say more than 125,000 people are expected throughout the event, bringing in millions of dollars for the local economy.
    — Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 19 June 2026
Definition of people
Verb
  • Every piece of content must serve as a culturally relevant entry point that accumulates brand equity, especially when day-to-day audience engagement can be largely random.
    — Stefano Marrone, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Tennis players with wrist pain are often enduring tendonitis, which is inflammation of the tendons, or tenosynovitis, when fluid accumulates in the sheath that protects that tendon.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of accumulates
Noun
  • By evening, crowds overflowed outside the site and spilled onto the streets and lanes.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
  • The Tesla Diner is one year old as crowds lined up to charge at the highest-usage Supercharger in the world.
    — Brooke Crothers, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of crowd
Verb
  • Jack gathers with those who have Parkinson’s to talk through issues and feelings.
    — Nicole Borman, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026
  • At night, pretty much everyone gathers around the fire pits and hangs out.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 July 2026
Definition of gathers
Noun
  • Its nod to the heat, humidity and congestion of summer days, and to the cool air, darkness and freedom of summer nights emotionally resonated with the music-buying public.
    — Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Ween released 12 Golden Country Greats in the summer of 1996 to a public primed for a prank.
    — Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of public
Noun
  • Unbeknownst to the visitors, there’s an unhappy fifth party already in the house… and more than one homicidal maniac even within that small populace.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 July 2026
  • Their past two victories against Switzerland and Egypt came with the help of controversial calls that had the soccer-watching populace buzzing about potential favoritism toward Argentina.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 14 July 2026
Definition of populace
Noun
  • While the violent mobs who hurled stones at marchers in 1966 are long gone, civil rights advocates say their demands remained strikingly familiar and that the threat to democracy has not disappeared.
    — Lila Hempel-Edgers, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Over the next dozen years, Pastore appeared in supporting or bit roles in several films and TV shows, including the Martin Scorsese mob classic Goodfellas and Robin Williams and Robert De Niro’s medical drama Awakenings, both in 1990.
    — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of mob
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.

Browse Nearby Words

massed
masses
massing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Masses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/masses. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on masses

Nglish: Translation of masses for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of élan

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

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

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

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

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
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
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All