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.
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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
-
The Natural Resources Defense Council, the Southern Environmental Law Center and other environmental groups have filed a lawsuit to block the exemptions.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The President has seized upon the claim by right-wing groups that white South Africans, particularly farmers, are victims of an ongoing genocide.—
Boyce Upholt,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
According to the Defense official, the Army plans to ramp up training over the next year, eventually sending in platoons of some 40 soldiers at a time to train.—
Anne Flaherty,
ABC News,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Some of them are regular reserve units, but some of them are specific reserve units called regional-defense battalions, and there are regional brigades in the West Bank that have regional-defense battalions under them, which are units made up mostly of settlers.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The government of Honduras cancelled its agreement with Cuba over the medical brigades last week and more than 150 medical staffers left the Central American nation.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Rather than looking for the galaxy directly, the research team searched for tight groupings of globular clusters, dense spherical groups of stars that orbit galaxies and can serve as signposts for hidden galaxies nearby.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Since then, Heart continued to grow as one of the biggest rock acts of the ’70s and ’80s, even earning a place on Billboard‘s list of 50 best rock bands.—
Annie Harrigan,
Billboard,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Sure, there were fewer bands, but Keenan worked the phones for weeks tracking down as many of the sailors and smugglers from that era as possible.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The batteries will be equipped with sensors that detect any kind of temperature deviation.—
Rob Nikolewski,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Candles and other items that could melt, batteries and electronics, medication, and food items are best stored in cool, dark spots rather than plastic bins.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Meyer Lemon Besides producing fruit with a distinct sweet-tart flavor, Meyer lemon trees (Citrus x meyeri) also bear clusters of white blooms that smell like citrus.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2026
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But with the disintegration of Hollywood, one of the world’s greatest industry clusters, something more than jobs and income is lost.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Nuggets have been fighting one battle after another for the last week, facing four Western Conference playoff teams in four different cities.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The Heat, which has needed to qualify for the playoffs through the NBA’s play-in tournament in each of the last three seasons, needs to finish among the East’s top six teams to clinch a playoff spot and avoid the play-in tournament.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Phalanxes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phalanxes. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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