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
Their strategy focuses on low-cost drone swarms, maximizing pilot effectiveness. David Hambling, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Every wedding, every cherry blossom season in Japan, every birth, reactor accidents too, swarms of insects, kittens playing with woolen balls, people disfigured by war, palm trees at sunset—five billion photos a day. Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026 Across the Bay Area, plenty of events are planned to accommodate the swarms of exuberant fans gathering to experience the hype, even without any game tickets. Kassia Bonesteel, CBS News, 30 June 2026 For much of the war in Ukraine, the public imagination has been captured by explosive FPV drones, autonomous swarms, and viral footage of unmanned aircraft hunting tanks worth millions of dollars. Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 29 June 2026 There are anecdotal cases of seismic swarms before a large rupture that, in hindsight, could have provided some clues to possibly detect early signs of future large ruptures. Sylvain Barbot, The Conversation, 26 June 2026 But for some reason the powers that be have decreed artificial intelligence a civilizational imperative, requiring the hurried construction of swarms of data centers, on Earth and in space. Mark Gongloff, Mercury News, 24 June 2026 The prototype rover is part of the German Space Agency's VaMEx (Valles Marineris Explorer) program, which is an initiative aimed at developing swarms of driving, walking and flying robots designed to explore Mars' vast Valles Marineris valley. New Atlas, 22 June 2026 But for now, the booby seems healthy and pretty much unbothered by the swarms of people paying it a visit — one of whom is Amy Gobbini, who briefly stopped from her nearby workplace to snag a picture on her phone. Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 18 June 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swarms
Noun
  • With their billowing sails, teakwood decks and mazes of ropes and rigging, ships like Eagle draw throngs of visitors hoping to get a glimpse of the past.
    Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • The throngs of teenagers doing back flips into the Canal Saint-Martin and playing soccer in the street set the mood for the week.
    Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • Things quickly take a terrifying turn during surgery when a scorpion tail suddenly bursts through Perry’s back, attacking one of the surgeons mid-operation.
    Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026
  • Haaland bursts our bubble almost immediately by scoring in the opening five minutes, and Burnley miss a few good first-half chances, with striker Zian Flemming particularly culpable.
    Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Long before the sun climbs high, a boat eases into the waters of Lake Maumelle.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 June 2026
  • Matt Damon climbs into a Trojan horse for a bit filmed for Jimmy Kimmel Live!
    People Staff, PEOPLE, 21 June 2026
Noun
  • With plenty of nervous energy, hordes of United States fans packed into KC Live!
    Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026
  • And now, Swift’s fans are set to descend on the city, accompanied by hordes of media who until recently had little to no concrete information about the hush-hush affair.
    Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • Every once in a while, a player buzzes in with an answer that truly catches fans off-guard.
    Louis Peitzman, Entertainment Weekly, 18 June 2026
  • So when something goes on in markets that inspires exuberance or fear, my phone buzzes.
    Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 16 June 2026
Verb
  • Latest updates Anthropic is racing to increase its AI compute capacity in the Asia-Pacific region, as the company scrambles to keep up with soaring demand for its products.
    Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 26 June 2026
  • The best options include high-fiber smoothies, Greek yogurt with berries and nuts, and egg scrambles with vegetables.
    Lindsey DeSoto, Health, 23 June 2026
Noun
  • As of April 2026 there were around 62 active bird flu cases in the US, 39 of them commercial and 23 in backyard flocks, poultry scientist Dervan Bryan told Campus Insights Media.
    Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026
  • After their return to the Negev Lot and Abraham both have large flocks of livestock, but their herders begin to quarrel.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • His colleague, a newly qualified environmental engineer, clambers up onto the backseat.
    Sabrina Weiss, The Dial, 23 Sep. 2025
  • Joe, glowering, stalks off through the crowd, clambers into his vehicle, and drives off.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Swarms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swarms. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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