horde

noun

ˈhȯrd 

1

a

: a political subdivision of central Asian nomads

b

: a people or tribe of nomadic life

2

: a large unorganized group of individuals : a teeming crowd or throng

hordes of peasants

Synonyms

• army
• bike [chiefly Scottish]
• cram
• crowd
• crush
• drove
• flock
• herd
• host
• legion
• mass
• mob
• multitude
• press
• rout
• scrum
• swarm
• throng

Choose the Right Synonym for horde

crowd, throng, horde, crush, mob mean an assembled multitude.

crowd implies a close gathering and pressing together.

a crowd gathered

throng and horde suggest movement and pushing.

a throng of reporters

a horde of shoppers

crush emphasizes the compactness of the group, the difficulty of individual movement, and the attendant discomfort.

a crush of fans

mob implies a disorderly crowd with the potential for violence.

an angry mob

Examples of horde in a Sentence

A horde of tourists entered the museum.

Hordes of reporters were shouting questions.

Recent Examples on the Web

With Barcelona booming these days, locals’ displeasure over hordes of visitors clomping around town has made lots of news. —John Oseid, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024

There are now hordes of straight women on every continent who have become fans of mine—I’ve been shown the chat rooms and the TikTok comments by my team. —Remy Blumenfeld, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Dec. 2024

The film, made for just $3.5 million (a little more than $14 million in today’s currency), was a blockbuster, earning more than $171 million and winning over hordes of initially skeptical critics. —Clay Risen, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2024

She’s been inspired by many things in her work, from the Roaring Twenties to New York City glamour to midcentury-modern design, but to her hordes of fans, Joanna remains the patron saint of modern farmhouse style. —Charlotte Collins, Architectural Digest, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, German, & Polish; Middle French & German, from Polish horda, from Ukrainian dialect gorda, alteration of Ukrainian orda, from Old Russian, from Turkic orda, ordu khan's residence

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

horde

noun

ˈhō(ə)rd 

ˈhȯ(ə)rd

1

: a wandering people or tribe

2

: a great multitude : throng, swarm

hordes of tourists