swarmed 1 of 2

past tense of swarm
1
as in flocked
to move upon or fill (something) in great numbers meeting little resistance, the pirates swarmed the decks of the merchant ship

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2
as in buzzed
to be copiously supplied at this time of year that Mexican resort swarms with college students on spring break

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

swarmed

2 of 2

verb (2)

past tense of swarm
as in climbed
to move (as up or over something) often with the help of the hands in holding or pulling one of the physical challenges had competitors swarming over a pile of logs

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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 swarmed
Verb
Within seconds, protesters swarmed among the agents, screaming and holding their cellphones aloft. Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026 Beyond that, twin brothers and juniors Anhor The Great Johnson and King Rich Johnson swarmed everything that Basha tried to do. Caleb Otte, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026 Flies swarmed through South Florida restaurant inspections this week as businesses had trouble keeping the insects outside and off the food. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026 At least a dozen fire trucks, ambulances, and police vehicles swarmed downtown Oklahoma City on Tuesday evening as emergency personnel responded to what appeared to be a fire at Corporate Tower. Jessie Christopher Smith, Oklahoman, 1 Sep. 2026 On Tuesday, June 16th, Doyle was sitting in his car, typing the address of that day’s job into his phone, when a dozen or so armed federal agents suddenly swarmed his vehicle. Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 Giendry tossed his glove in the air as his teammates swarmed him in the outfield. ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026 Spanish protesters and migrants clashed with police and each other in Ceuta, one month after a horde of over 70,000 Moroccan migrants abruptly swarmed the small Spanish enclave. Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2026 Security tried to shield the 6-foot-10 veteran as spectators swarmed. Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swarmed
Verb
  • Large crowds flocked to Oslo for the funeral, and thousands stood behind barriers on streets lined with national flags.
    ABC News, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Perez was one of many immigrants who flocked to Pilsen for the neighborhood’s 25th annual Mexican Independence Day Parade, a tradition that fills 18th Street with vintage cars, folk dancers and lively musicians on their way to Harrison Park.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • With a nod from the person at the desk, we were buzzed out and strolled straight onto the tarmac to mount up.
    Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The two 98-seat Embraer-190 regional jets from South African airline Airlink buzzed Cape Town’s DHL stadium on Saturday just before the match between the country’s Springboks and New Zealand’s All Blacks teams.
    Pete Muntean, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The death toll following last week's unprecedented flash flood at the Nepal-Tibet border has climbed to 1,344, with an additional 4,996 people believed to still be missing as of Saturday, officials said.
    Jon Haworth, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Expedia said in June that searches using budget filters have climbed more than 1,200% compared with 12 months ago.
    Alex Harring, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Set the scene The beach cities of Orange County range from quaint to trendy, but almost all of them get crowded, especially in the summer.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Sep. 2026
  • On the sideline, players crowded around Patterson, jumping for joy.
    Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The skins cling like wet T-shirts to the filling beneath, with each plump bundle nearly bursting with big, discernible chunks of shrimp and ground pork.
    Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Heaps of plot aren’t required, of course, but one watches Color of the Sun with a constant itch for something to burst through the movie’s mannered stillness and liven up the picture.
    Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Airlines scrambled Wednesday to dig out from the backlog triggered by technical problems experienced by the United Kingdom's air traffic control system that has forced the cancellation of more than 2,000 flights.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Scientists have scrambled to investigate, hoping to prevent further deaths in a species that has been in decline for years—gray whales lost 35 percent of their population between 2020 and 2025.
    Ainslie Cruickshank, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • By later in the day, the second lake had bulged — sparking fears of another lethal torrent.
    Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
  • My husband Grant Wahl's bulged and burst, at an age when this disease usually means something inherited.
    Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News, 13 July 2026
Verb
  • Readers will know, of course, that Joao Palhinha bundled in a late winner at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Spurs reduced the gap to two and then clambered over West Ham in the final weeks of the season.
    Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • People have clambered into helicopters from roof terraces and been winched up from the mud left behind by the floodwater, videos posted by the Nepali Army show.
    Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Swarmed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swarmed. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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