swarms 1 of 3

plural of swarm

swarms

2 of 3

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of swarm
1
as in flocks
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 bursts
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

swarms

3 of 3

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of swarm
as in climbs
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 swarms
Noun
Getty Images Warmer temperatures in the English Channel, where the Paluel plant draws from, mean that conditions for jellyfish reproduction are far easier, and there are more swarms present in the water to potentially disrupt the energy network. Theo Burman shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025 The image portrays a man battling over food scraps with swarms of flies indifferent to their invasion of his territory. Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025 As California has grappled with the ghost student swarms, officials have debated instituting a nominal fee to add friction to the system of applying. Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2025 Schafer envisions a future in which swarms of these structures are used for atmospheric sensing and telecommunications not only in Earth’s mesosphere but also in the tenuous atmosphere of Mars, which exhibits similarly low pressures. Payal Dhar, Scientific American, 19 Aug. 2025 If China successfully resolves these challenges, this could become a new class of hypersonic weapons platform that is long-range, fast, and hard to stop, capable of deploying drone swarms. Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 17 Aug. 2025 Jiang says the researchers are now looking at developing sensor-rich robotic swarms capable of distributed detection, decision-making, and collective behavior. IEEE Spectrum, 12 Aug. 2025 Keep bugs away Nothing ruins a camping trip faster than swarms of bugs. Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025 Mueller says that's where the robots come in – swarms of them. Kira Wakeam, NPR, 16 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swarms
Noun
  • About 20,000 university students, throngs of enthusiastic visiting alumni, and the bustling tourist traffic ensure Boone has no slow season.
    Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2025
  • Of course, this stat includes the myriad styles of chardonnay, even if our collective imagination pictures throngs of stereotypical oaky chard drinkers clinking glasses while snacking on sticks of butter.
    Devin Parr, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • This time it was set in a fantasy world where the player controls an elf whose race is fighting off hordes of otherworldly monsters.
    Joshua Lamb, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
  • After walking the red carpet, Elordi and Isaac gamely stopped for selfies and autographs with the hordes of fans outside the theater.
    Ellise Shafer, Variety, 30 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Today's solar companies are turning to flocks of sheep to trim grass and control weeds under solar panels.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Keen observers may witness small flocks of Phalaropes swimming in dizzy circles in the quiet ponds.
    Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Entire crowds gunned down at distribution points.
    Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • In the Lower West Side of Chicago, music blared and green, white and red flags fluttered down the streets of the predominantly Latino Pilsen neighborhood on Saturday as crowds gathered for the start of Mexican Independence Day celebrations.
    Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swarms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swarms. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on swarms

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!