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

The commercial depicts a park ranger at an active volcano who is battling hordes of people who are confusing actual lava with the confection. —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2025

But the idea that hordes of undercover agents instigated the Capitol riot gained traction and fuelled right-wing hostilities toward the Bureau. —Tess Owen, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2025

Set in Europe during the Dark Ages, the story sees hordes from Hell invading Europe when the Six Petals, a secret sect of the Knights Templar, pray to God to drive back the demonic scourge. —Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Jan. 2025

Reggie Hunter, 37, of Baton Rouge, died after he was hit by the suspect’s pickup, which plowed through hordes of revelers celebrating the new year on Bourbon Street before dawn, said his cousin Shirell Jackson, 47, of Hammond, Louisiana. —Ken Dilanian, NBC News, 2 Jan. 2025

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