hoard

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈhȯrd 

plural hoards

: a supply or fund stored up and often hidden away

a hoard of cash

hoard

2 of 3

verb

hoarded; hoarding; hoards

transitive verb

1

: to collect and often hide away a supply of : to accumulate a hoard (see hoard entry 1) of

hoarding food

2

: to keep (something, such as one's thoughts) to oneself

… she hoarded her intention …

—Virginia Woolf

the people outside disperse their affections, you hoard yours, you nurse them into intensity

—Joseph Conrad

intransitive verb

: to collect and often hide away a supply of something

specifically : to engage in compulsive hoarding

One thing people who hoard have in common is a skewed perceived value of possessions.

—Connie McDougall

hoard

3 of 3

noun (2)

plural hoards

: a temporary board fence put around a building being erected or repaired : hoarding entry 2 sense 1

Synonyms of hoard

Noun (1)

• stash

Verb

• store
• stash
• accumulate
• stockpile
• treasure

Examples of hoard in a Sentence

Noun (1)

a squirrel's hoard of nuts

keeps a hoard of empty yogurt containers in his basement workshop for storing whatnots

Verb

he's been hoarding empty yogurt containers all winter, with the intention of using them to start seedlings in the spring

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Hig captured their graffiti in the beginning of the film, and a hoard of them — covered in facepaint — attack both Cima and Pops’ camp as well as Bangley, who is left alone when Hig goes out to find Cima and Pops. — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026

Further specialist analyses will help determine whether the Kojetín hoard had a comparable significance. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Verb

Responding to journalists' questions, Macron urged the United States not to hoard cutting-edge AI technologies for itself and stressed that countries must engage in global cooperation on AI regulation. — CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

The adventures of Addison’s titular shilling include being hoarded, offered as a bribe, and sent as an insulting accompaniment to a letter disinheriting a son. — Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb

Middle English hord, from Old English; akin to Goth huzd treasure, Old English hȳdan to hide

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1757, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing hoard

• word-hoard

Rhymes for hoard

• board
• bored
• chord
• cord
• corde
• cored
• fjord
• floored
• gored
• gourd
• horde
• lord

Kids Definition

hoard

noun

ˈhō(ə)rd, 

ˈhȯ(ə)rd

: a hidden supply or fund stored up

hoard verb

hoarder noun