as in floods
a large group of animals or people moving together in a quick and disordered way
During the morning rush hour, the coffee shop gets hit with a stampede of customers.
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as in darts
to move together in a quick and disordered manner and usually in a large group
At the sound of the lunch bell, all five hundred students in the building stampeded toward the cafeteria.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stampedes
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2026
Crowds were relatively small last month, especially compared to March weekends in the years after the COVID pandemic, when thousands of young people packed Ocean Drive and the party was sullied by shootings, stampedes and curfews.
—Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
Crowding and stampedes sometimes occur in Pakistan during Ramadan, when government agencies, charities and businesses distribute food and cash to poor families.
—ABC News, 16 Mar. 2026
In that spirit, the presidency — despite policy detours, rhetorical bucking and social-media stampedes — remains a powerful instrument of national motion.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 17 Feb. 2026
Trump should discipline his rhetoric, avoiding terms such as riots and stampedes that echo regime propaganda.
—Behnam Ben Taleblu, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2026
The Saudi government has poured massive investment into redeveloping the area around holy site following a series of deadly stampedes and a crane accident that killed more than a hundred people in 2015.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
People crushed or suffocated in stampedes.
—Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
The response underscores the intensity of the speculative mania around AI, which has fueled stampedes into would-be winners and panicked rushes away from any industry that seems poised to be hit by the competitive threat.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2026
Crowds were relatively small last month, especially compared to March weekends in the years after the COVID pandemic, when thousands of young people packed Ocean Drive and the party was sullied by shootings, stampedes and curfews.
—Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
Crowding and stampedes sometimes occur in Pakistan during Ramadan, when government agencies, charities and businesses distribute food and cash to poor families.
—ABC News, 16 Mar. 2026
In that spirit, the presidency — despite policy detours, rhetorical bucking and social-media stampedes — remains a powerful instrument of national motion.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 17 Feb. 2026
Trump should discipline his rhetoric, avoiding terms such as riots and stampedes that echo regime propaganda.
—Behnam Ben Taleblu, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2026
The Saudi government has poured massive investment into redeveloping the area around holy site following a series of deadly stampedes and a crane accident that killed more than a hundred people in 2015.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
People crushed or suffocated in stampedes.
—Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stampedes
Noun
-
When a lot of rain falls very quickly, the ground can’t soak up the water—leading to floods.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Typhoon Sinlaku triggered floods, tore off roofs and overturned cars on Saipan.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The striker is initially in a central area but then darts to the right side.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Chef Clark Bowen keeps things interesting by incorporating Middle-Eastern influences into an ever-changing menu that darts around the globe and offers intriguing combinations.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Videos shared on social media on March 25 showed lines fluctuating throughout the day, shrinking between the early morning and afternoon rushes.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Kinnard had more receptions (18) than rushes (12) last season while at Colorado State.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Castle begins the possession on All-NBA center Karl-Anthony Towns, who jogs up top to set a screen for a fellow star, Jalen Brunson.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Joel Edgerton jogs past me into a bathroom.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Even moderate rainfall can quickly transform these waterways into destructive torrents that overflow into nearby townships, including Friendswood and League City.—
Dominic Boyer,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2026
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Wandering through the wash, the mind drifts not to the film but to the flash floods that move through this channel after heavy rains, sudden torrents cutting and reshaping the valley floor in a matter of hours.—
Josh Jackson,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stampedes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stampedes. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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