swarming 1 of 3

swarming

2 of 3

verb (1)

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

swarming

3 of 3

verb (2)

present participle of swarm
as in climbing
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

Synonyms & Similar 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 swarming
Verb
And from there, Eddie George’s squad appeared to have little direction offensively against a swarming unit. Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026 The order, which originated with a USFS Bat Conservation Strategy recommendation, is meant to reduce human disturbance during fall swarming, hibernation and spring emergence, according to federal documents. Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 9 Sep. 2026 For the defense, that means having all 11 players on the field swarming toward the ball on every play and having sound communication. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026 Tens of thousands of Afghans swarming Abbey Gate, their only way out after Kabul fell and the Taliban returned to power. ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026 After that, chaos erupted, with dozens of masked people swarming the business. Lesley Marin, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026 But the company has already demonstrated such drone swarming capability during a live-fire combat exercise at a US military range at Camp Blanding in Florida. Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 3 Aug. 2026 Earlier this year, Orlando police also released video showing hundreds of riders on e-bikes swarming downtown streets, running red lights, blocking traffic and delaying an ambulance. Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026 Sparkly, semiattired Lolla kids are this weekend swarming around such oft-deserted environs as Van Buren Street, Jackson Boulevard and State Street. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swarming
Adjective
  • Gleason said pursuits are typically limited to two or three police cars to reduce road chaos, but there appeared to be at least five or six in this chase on a crowded road.
    Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Earlier this year, Becerra was a single-digit polling afterthought in the crowded race to replace Newsom, who is termed-out.
    Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Jihadis are not flocking to battle Israel or the United States, and the former Syrian jihadis sitting in Damascus seem to prefer attracting foreign investment to fighting infidel powers.
    Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026
  • But Johannès is not the only reason Les Bleues started flocking to the WNBA.
    Eden Laase, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Morgan Stanley shrugged off the bubble-bursting concerns, with its Global Investment Committee reiterating a year-end S&P 500 target of 8,000 and a mid-2027 target of 8,300—bullish territory, not a bust.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026
  • For a child bursting with energy, few things are more fun than hurtling through a bouncy castle, launching into the air, and ping-ponging between every surface.
    Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Markets barely registered the announcement, with yields dropping before climbing back up.
    Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2026
  • But Brent resumed climbing as conflict persisted, topping $100 per barrel again in July before wavering and then hitting that mark again late Tuesday.
    John Towfighi, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania have introduced or passed legislation penalizing the practice and requiring employers to disclose hiring timelines or remove filled postings, while Texas has opened its own investigation into a major job board.
    Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Maybe the sign-up flow has too many fields, the first action users need to take isn't obvious or there's a setting that should have been pre-filled.
    Kelli Behan-Aspland, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Safety and crowding concerns will continue to plague the uptown jail when Jail North reopens to alleviate conditions, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden warned late Friday.
    Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The federal government has transferred many detainees to some of the nation’s largest detention facilities in Louisiana and Mississippi, complicating their legal representation and crowding the dockets in those states.
    Carla Astudillo, ProPublica, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Jourdan Rodrigue has a list of 15 young players the NFL is buzzing about before the regular season starts.
    Chris Branch, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • In eighth grade at Hickory Creek, Ross already had high school track coaches buzzing about her.
    Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Faria was down a break and scrambling to survive, having snatched the opening set by getting past Alcaraz’s defenses.
    Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Each new home takes space once inhabited by bears, leaving the predators scrambling to adjust.
    Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 7 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Swarming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swarming. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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