variants
or phalanges
as in groups
formal
a large collection of people, animals, or things often placed close together
A solid phalanx of armed guards stood in front of the castle. She had to go through a phalanx of television cameras.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 phalanxes
Limbs are quickly assembled from shoulders and hips down to the phalanges.
—
Jeff Wilson, Outdoor Life, 11 Mar. 2026
Jennifer Lawrence, who recently accessorized her black-and-white Lii dress with a slew of silver rings across her phalanges.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 19 Nov. 2025
In earlier times, ungulate toe-bones (phalanges) were commonly used across various cultures to make ornaments, game pieces, handles, and figurines.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2025
The further out one is known as the interphalangeal joint because your toe has two bones, the distal and the proximal phalanges.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Jeff Wilson, Outdoor Life, 11 Mar. 2026
Jennifer Lawrence, who recently accessorized her black-and-white Lii dress with a slew of silver rings across her phalanges.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 19 Nov. 2025
In earlier times, ungulate toe-bones (phalanges) were commonly used across various cultures to make ornaments, game pieces, handles, and figurines.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2025
The further out one is known as the interphalangeal joint because your toe has two bones, the distal and the proximal phalanges.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phalanxes
Noun
-
But many critics — including transit, affordable housing, environmental justice and clean water groups — said this amounts to a dismantling of the program.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
The Kansas Coalition for Common Sense, which has supported the petition effort alongside the groups Prairie Progress Civic Action and Leading Kansas, slammed the response.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
In the coming years, as Erik Neander took over the baseball operations department, the Rays were at the forefront of analytics with defensive shifts, aggressive platoons, utilizing openers, creating a menagerie of arm slots in the bullpen and, yes, prioritizing exit velocity.—
John Romano,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2026
-
Outfield requires far more starting spots, and most of those available later in drafts are locked in platoons.—
Dalton Del Don,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The efforts are partly funded through a partnership between Bunge Foundation and IBAMA to support training and equipment for up to 40 Indigenous brigades across five states in the Cerrado and the Amazon.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
-
Though the reality is more complex, as Cuba also uses the brigades to raise funds for the government.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 June 2026
-
When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
More than 20 rock bands and artists descended upon Nashville’s Lower Broadway on Friday during the heart of the 2026 CMA Fest to show that Music City is more than just three chords and the truth.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
8 June 2026
-
Spanish Squat Spanish squats are a special type of squat that utilizes resistance bands.—
Sarah Bence,
Verywell Health,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
Data indicated the spacecraft went into a fast spin, which disrupted its orbit and drained the onboard batteries.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
-
What are semi-solid-state batteries?—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
Even if that worked for Palm Beach County, there are no similar millionaire clusters in poor counties to pick up the slack.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
6 June 2026
-
What grabbed my attention were the intriguing, foot-long violet flower clusters known as panicles hanging amidst the slender, dark green leaves.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Popularized by a beer commercial during the 1986 World Cup, it’s used to rally on teams with its repetitive (albeit nonsensical) syllables as well as its upbeat ending.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
-
Russian national teams remain suspended from most international hockey competitions due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Phalanxes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phalanxes. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
