Synonyms of swarms

swarms 1 of 3

noun

plural of swarm

as in throngs

a great number of persons or creatures massed together

a swarm of tourists descends upon the island every summer

Synonyms & Similar Words

• throngs
• hordes
• flocks
• crowds
• masses
• multitudes
• legions
• masses
• armies
• mobs
• droves
• herds
• millions
• bikes
• hosts
• crushes
• routs
• crams
• presses
• rabbles
• gaggles
• piles
• riffraffs
• rabblements
• scrums
• heaps
• mountains
• jams
• logjams

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

• flocks
• crowds
• invades
• throngs
• mobs
• jams
• infests
• overruns
• besets
• clogs
• plugs (up)
• obstructs
• dams

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

• bursts
• buzzes
• teems
• bulges
• abounds
• hums
• crawls
• overflows
• bristles
• brims
• bustles
• pullulates

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• needs
• wants
• lacks

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

• climbs
• scrambles
• clambers
• scrabbles
• shinnies
• scales
• ascends
• breasts
• surmounts
• shins
• shimmies
• summits
• struggles
• sprawls
• claws
• skins
• mounts
• free-climbs
• gets up

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of swarms

Noun

The swarms of flies that roamed the planet like a devouring fog enclosed the top of the tower, building new, shivering walls, buzzing in a frenzy of life and hunger. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 27 July 2026

The bright light attracts massive swarms of flying insects, chased by birds, which unwittingly get instantly vaporized mid-air by the invisible, high-temperature beams. — Indrabati Lahiri, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

Others have expressed concerns that swarms of flies might get into their homes. — Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026

The precautions appear to work; despite wading into swarms of ticks every day for years, Roden-Reynolds has never developed alpha-gal. — Andy Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 25 July 2026

Drone swarms could expose or distract enemy defenses, forcing them to expend interceptors and reveal their positions. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 21 July 2026

The Central Park Conservancy, which runs the park on behalf of the city, supports a ban, but the Conservancy should be more concerned with swarms of e-bikes and scooters zooming through the park. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 July 2026

Each of Seneca’s Argo-1 drones can carry about 100 pounds of water or fire retardant while working together in swarms of four to six drones. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 20 July 2026

Verb

Before the gaggle of girls swarms her apartment, there’s a sweet moment when Steve drops his daughter off early, and the two divorcees engage in some flirty banter over pizza prep. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 17 June 2026

On the opposite corner, a herd of schoolchildren swarms a local television reporter. — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 8 June 2026

Washington swarms with health specialists. — Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026

The unapologetically lurid tale of two families locked in an ever-complex cat’s cradle of class resentments and adulterous power plays also swarms with queen bees and jaw-droppingly muscular men that feel straight out of the Real Housewives playbook. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026

Launching swarms mid-air The aircraft was publicly displayed for the first time at Airshow China in Zhuhai in 2024, where Chinese broadcasters highlighted its potential military functions. — Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 11 Dec. 2025