1
a
: a great number of honeybees emigrating together from a hive in company with a queen to start a new colony elsewhere
b
: a colony of honeybees settled in a hive
2
a
: a large number of animate or inanimate things massed together and usually in motion : throng
swarms of sightseers
a swarm of locusts
a swarm of meteors
b
: a number of similar geologic features or phenomena close together in space or time
a swarm of dikes
an earthquake swarm
swarmed; swarming; swarms
1
: to form and depart from a hive in a swarm
2
a
: to move or assemble in a crowd : throng
b
: to hover about in the manner of a bee in a swarm
3
: to contain a swarm : teem
swarming with bugs
1
: to fill with a swarm
2
: to beset or surround in a swarm
players swarming the quarterback
swarmer
noun
Synonyms
Examples of swarm in a Sentence
Noun
a swarm of tourists descends upon the island every summer
Recent Examples on the Web
Tara Copp, Fortune, 4 May 2024
Read more Photo of the day: Sea lions swarm San Francisco pier
Some extra barking and splashing was heard this week in San Francisco Bay's Pier 39 as an unusually large swarm of sea lions is gathering at the iconic landmark.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024
There is no imaging scan or blood test that can detect the swarms of microscopic tears that repeated blast exposure can cause in a living brain.
—Dave Philipps, New York Times, 2 May 2024
Even without more evidence of recent eruptions, the Cayley region is littered with hot springs and feels shallow earthquakes including at least 4 swarms since 1985.
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2024
After such a long delay, the Diamondbacks scratched scheduled starter Jordan Montgomery and went with Plan Bee – a swarm of relievers.
—Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 30 Apr. 2024
The Opening Ceremony will be the first ever held in a city center, with gigantic Olympic rings to be displayed on the Eiffel Tower overlooking the Seine, on which a swarm of boats will carry athletes toward the Tower.
—Paris Wilson, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Apr. 2024
Iran's weekend swarm of munitions and Israel's response marked the first direct exchanges of fire between the regional enemies.
—USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
Trying to sleep, in patches, the wife crossed a rushing stream on stepping stones that were unsteady beneath her feet; below them, in the water, swarms of small dark sluglike creatures waited for her bare feet to slip.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 May 2024
Read more Photo of the day: Sea lions swarm San Francisco pier
Some extra barking and splashing was heard this week in San Francisco Bay's Pier 39 as an unusually large swarm of sea lions is gathering at the iconic landmark.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024
Police swarmed a University of Wisconsin-Madison encampment Wednesday morning and arrested 34 people, two days after pro-Palestinian protesters took over Library Mall.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 2 May 2024
That chaos came into full view hours earlier, on Tuesday night, as police swarmed and cleared out a building at Columbia University occupied by pro-Palestinian demonstrators while dueling protesters clashed at UCLA before police moved in to quell the violence.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 2 May 2024
The requests for additional police resources add to the questions about why UCLA was so underprepared when dozens of people swarmed the camp Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, attacking protesters who were occupying the space on the campus.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
Commenters swarmed in with a combination of nickname suggestions and reassurance that the mom would feel like the name fit her little one in time.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 1 May 2024
Early that morning, after Officer Lott was shot, police cars and helicopters swarmed the area near FM 731, on the edge of where Joshua and Burleson meet.
—James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 2024
Honeybee swarming is a remarkable display of nature’s resilience and organization.
—Leah Taylor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024
Noun
Future war scenarios envision swarms of American unmanned aircraft providing an advance attack on enemy defenses to give the U.S. the ability to penetrate an airspace without high risk to pilot lives.
—Tara Copp, Fortune, 4 May 2024
Read more Photo of the day: Sea lions swarm San Francisco pier
Some extra barking and splashing was heard this week in San Francisco Bay's Pier 39 as an unusually large swarm of sea lions is gathering at the iconic landmark.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024
There is no imaging scan or blood test that can detect the swarms of microscopic tears that repeated blast exposure can cause in a living brain.
—Dave Philipps, New York Times, 2 May 2024
Even without more evidence of recent eruptions, the Cayley region is littered with hot springs and feels shallow earthquakes including at least 4 swarms since 1985.
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2024
After such a long delay, the Diamondbacks scratched scheduled starter Jordan Montgomery and went with Plan Bee – a swarm of relievers.
—Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 30 Apr. 2024
The Opening Ceremony will be the first ever held in a city center, with gigantic Olympic rings to be displayed on the Eiffel Tower overlooking the Seine, on which a swarm of boats will carry athletes toward the Tower.
—Paris Wilson, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Apr. 2024
Iran's weekend swarm of munitions and Israel's response marked the first direct exchanges of fire between the regional enemies.
—USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
Trying to sleep, in patches, the wife crossed a rushing stream on stepping stones that were unsteady beneath her feet; below them, in the water, swarms of small dark sluglike creatures waited for her bare feet to slip.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Verb
His shot wasn’t falling as Los Angeles swarmed him with traps and double teams.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 May 2024
Read more Photo of the day: Sea lions swarm San Francisco pier
Some extra barking and splashing was heard this week in San Francisco Bay's Pier 39 as an unusually large swarm of sea lions is gathering at the iconic landmark.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024
Police swarmed a University of Wisconsin-Madison encampment Wednesday morning and arrested 34 people, two days after pro-Palestinian protesters took over Library Mall.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 2 May 2024
That chaos came into full view hours earlier, on Tuesday night, as police swarmed and cleared out a building at Columbia University occupied by pro-Palestinian demonstrators while dueling protesters clashed at UCLA before police moved in to quell the violence.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 2 May 2024
The requests for additional police resources add to the questions about why UCLA was so underprepared when dozens of people swarmed the camp Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, attacking protesters who were occupying the space on the campus.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
Commenters swarmed in with a combination of nickname suggestions and reassurance that the mom would feel like the name fit her little one in time.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 1 May 2024
Early that morning, after Officer Lott was shot, police cars and helicopters swarmed the area near FM 731, on the edge of where Joshua and Burleson meet.
—James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 2024
Honeybee swarming is a remarkable display of nature’s resilience and organization.
—Leah Taylor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swarm.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Swarm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swarm. Accessed 8 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
swarm
1 of 2 noun1
: a great number of honeybees leaving together from a hive with a queen to start a new colony elsewhere
also
: a colony of honeybees settled in a hive
2
: a large number grouped together and usually in motion
swarms of sightseers
a swarm of meteors
swarm
2 of 2 verb1
: to form and leave a hive in a swarm
2
: to move or gather in a swarm : throng
spectators swarmed into the stadium
3
: to contain or fill with a swarm
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