throng 1 of 2

throng

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verb

as in to flock
to move upon or fill (something) in great numbers fans thronged the field to celebrate the win

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun throng differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of throng are crowd, crush, horde, and mob. While all these words mean "an assembled multitude," throng and horde suggest movement and pushing.

a throng of reporters
a horde of shoppers

When might crowd be a better fit than throng?

While in some cases nearly identical to throng, crowd implies a close gathering and pressing together.

a crowd gathered

When can crush be used instead of throng?

The synonyms crush and throng are sometimes interchangeable, but crush emphasizes the compactness of the group, the difficulty of individual movement, and the attendant discomfort.

a crush of fans

Where would mob be a reasonable alternative to throng?

The words mob and throng are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, mob implies a disorderly crowd with the potential for violence.

an angry mob

Examples 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 throng
Noun
December and January see throngs of orcas and humpbacks arriving and penguin chicks hatching. Kerry Spencer, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Dec. 2024 In a dramatic scene, South Korean lawmakers worked their way through throngs of protesters and military vehicles to gather in the National Assembly building during the middle of the night, where members of the body who were present unanimously voted to end martial rule. Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 3 Dec. 2024
Verb
In bulk, though, their presence makes The Bear feel like an undiscovered neighborhood gem that suddenly got huge, and now its quiet little tables are full of celebrities thronging to be seen (and win guest-starring Emmy roles). Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 17 July 2024 Illustration: Alvaro Dominguez; Getty Images On the morning of December 1, 2018, the vast central plaza in Mexico City was thronged by tens of thousands of people. Garrett M. Graff, WIRED, 16 Jan. 2020 See all Example Sentences for throng 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for throng
Noun
  • Ashley’s original, which has made musical history books for its pioneering use of the then-new element of feedback, seems to have a had a more carnival/cabaret feel, including crowd noise.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 15 Dec. 2024
  • On special occasions, the spectacle draws in crowds to the riverbanks on both sides, where sometimes thousands of people gather to marvel at the bridge's dazzling transformation.
    Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 14 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • This was long before Borough Market and Renzo Piano’s Shard would make London Bridge the bustling destination that visitors flock to today.
    Valentina Raggi, Architectural Digest, 21 Dec. 2024
  • The intrigue: While Texans flock to Japan, Japan is embracing Texas.
    Gregory Castillo, Axios, 20 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The game tells the story of a future Earth long after catastrophe—in the form of an autonomous robotic swarm—has ruined the planet.
    Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 20 Dec. 2024
  • These new bots swarm websites not to catalog content but to feed that content to AI, a technology that threatens to replace search as the default means of online discovery (and does so by digesting and regurgitating the content in a monstrous, unciteable form).
    Longreads, Longreads, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Cities mean closer quarters, dark alleys, and forked paths where one wrong turn means meeting a horde of Voteless to liberate.
    Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Areas affected by recent hurricanes also need to bring in hordes of outside workers as communities begin to rebuild.
    Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near throng

Cite this Entry

“Throng.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/throng. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on throng

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