swarm1 nounswarm2 verb
swarmswarm1 /swɔːm $ swɔːrm/ noun [countable] 
Word OriginWORD ORIGINswarm1
ExamplesOrigin:
Old English swearmEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Outside the school a swarm of small children ran around shouting and laughing.
- An average-sized locust swarm devours in the region of 20,000 tons of vegetation every day.
- Bee swarms, on the other hand, evoke another sort of awe.
- But family therapists are also aware how profoundly these swarms of narratives can affect what we see and therefore how we live.
- Jaq scanned another swarm of these hybrids, on the rampage with guns and blades.
- Picked out in silhouette is a swarm, a veritable plague, of humanity.
- Thousands of individuals, each not quite as big as a housefly make up the swarm.
- Violet receives a great swarm of attention wherever we go.
- When the adventurers move from 5d to either 5c or 5e they are attacked by a swarm of shadowy, ethereal forms.
THESAURUS► crowd
1a large group of insects, especially bees, moving together2a crowd of people who are moving quicklyswarm of a large number of people together in one place: · The exhibition is expected to attract large crowds of visitors.
► mob a crowd of noisy and violent people who are difficult to control: · The mob set fire to cars and buildings.
► mass a very large crowd which is not moving and which is very difficult to move through: · the mass of people in the station
► horde a large crowd of people, especially people who are behaving in a way that you disapprove of or that annoys you: · the hordes of tourists on the island
► droves [plural] a crowd of people – used especially when you are talking about a crowd of people who move from one place to another: · The public came in droves to see the event.
► throng literary a very large crowd: · A great throng had gathered to listen to his speech.
► flock a large group of people of the same type, especially when they have a leader: · A flock of children were being shown through the museum.
► pack a group of people of the same type, especially a group you do not approve of: · A pack of reporters shouted questions.
► swarm a large crowd of people who are moving quickly in many directions in a very uncontrolled way: · a swarm of children in the playground
► crush a crowd of people who are pressed close together: · There was such a crush on the Metro this morning.
► multitude formal literary a very large number of people, especially ordinary people: · The Emperor came out to speak to the multitude.
→ group1Longman Language Activatora large number of people together in a public place► crowd a large number of people together in one place: · I don't go to football games because I don't like big crowds.crowd of: · a crowd of angry protesterscrowds of people/visitors/tourists etc: · The exhibition is expected to attract large crowds of visitors.
► horde/hordes a large crowd of people who are behaving in a way that you disapprove of or that annoys you: horde/hordes of: · She was chased down the steps of the courthouse by a horde of reporters and camera crews.· This time of year is perfect to visit New York because it isn't overrun with the hordes of tourists.
► mob a crowd of noisy and violent people who are difficult to control: · The mob set fire to cars and buildings.mob of: · A mob of fans caused millions of pounds worth of damage in the area surrounding the stadium.
► mass a very large crowd which is not moving and which is very difficult to move through: mass of: · A mass of people stood before the courthouse.seething mass (=when there are far too many people all pushing and trying to go somewhere): · The bus station was a seething mass of people.
► swarm a large crowd of people who are moving quickly in many directions in a very uncontrolled way: swarm of: · Outside the school a swarm of small children ran around shouting and laughing.
► throng a very large crowd: · The throng greeted Sutter with cheers and applause.throng of: · a throng of reporters· Animals and carts moved along the dusty road with the throng of refugees.
► the crush a crowd of people who are all pressed close together so that it is very difficult to move between them: · Unable to get out of the crush, Chris began to panic.· A number of people fainted in the crush.· There was chaos as people tried to escape the flames and two children were badly injured in the crush.
WORD SETS► Insectsabdomen, nounant, nounantenna, nounanthill, nounaphid, nounbedbug, nounbee, nounbeetle, nounblack widow, nounbloodsucker, nounblow-fly, nounbluebottle, nounboll weevil, nounbookworm, nounbug, nounbumblebee, nounbutterfly, nouncaterpillar, nouncell, nouncentipede, nounchrysalis, nouncicada, nouncobweb, nouncockchafer, nouncockroach, nouncocoon, nouncomb, nouncrane fly, nouncreepy-crawly, nouncricket, noundaddy longlegs, noundragonfly, noundrone, nounearwig, nounentomology, nounfeeler, nounfirefly, nounflea, nounfly, verbfly, nounfruit fly, noungadfly, nounglow-worm, noungnat, noungossamer, noungrasshopper, noungreenfly, noungrub, nounhoneybee, nounhoneycomb, nounhornet, nounhorsefly, nounhousefly, nouninsect, nouninsectivore, nounkatydid, nounladybird, nounlarva, nounlice, nounlightning bug, nounlocust, nounlouse, nounmaggot, nounmantis, nounmayfly, nounmidge, nounmillipede, nounmite, nounmosquito, nounmoth, nounnectar, nounnest, nounnit, nounnymph, nounpest, nounpod, nounpraying mantis, nounproboscis, nounpupa, nounqueen, nounroach, nounsand fly, nounscarab, nounsilkworm, nounsilverfish, nounspider, nounspin, verbstick insect, nounsting, verbsting, nounstinger, nounsucker, nounswarm, nounswarm, verbtarantula, nountermite, nounthorax, nountick, nountortoiseshell, nountrilobite, nountsetse fly, nountzetze fly, nounvein, nounverminous, adjectivewasp, nounwater bug, nounweb, nounweevil, nounwing, nounwinged, adjectivewoodlouse, nounwoodworm, noun
Swarms of tourists jostled through the square.swarm1 nounswarm2 verb
swarmswarm2 verb [intransitive] Verb TableVERB TABLE
swarm
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | swarm |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | swarmed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have swarmed |
| he, she, it | has swarmed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had swarmed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will swarm |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have swarmed |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am swarming |
| he, she, it | is swarming | |
| you, we, they | are swarming | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was swarming |
| you, we, they | were swarming | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been swarming |
| he, she, it | has been swarming | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been swarming |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be swarming |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been swarming |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Every day tourists swarm through the narrow streets of the old city.
- Flies swarmed around him.
- Hundreds of refugees swarmed across the border.
- Reporters swarmed the area outside the courtroom.
- Amid the barren ocean floor swarmed legions of bizarre, new animals.
- But despite their lack of education groups of children aged six to 12 swarmed around the machine all day.
- I wandered through a poverty-stricken village in the countryside, flies swarming over me under a baking sun.
- In one scene, giant grasshoppers swarm atop the Wrigley Building in Chicago.
- More and more monsters swarmed down from the glowing mountains.
- The birds returned, invaded Bird Spirit Land and flocked and swarmed above the funeral pyre.
- The cobbled beaches swarmed with seals, and there was, as well, a fine colony of otters.
- They swarmed to the back by the dozen, chucking packets of Marlboro across the rows.
Longman Language Activatorwhen a crowd fills a place► crowd
Collocations if people crowd a place, they fill it and move around in it: · Shoppers crowded the town market.crowd aroundalso round British: · A large group of people crowded around the screaming child.· Fans crowded around the rear entrance of the concert hall, hoping to catch a glimpse of the band.
► fill if a lot of people fill a place, there are so many of them that there is no room left for any more: · An audience of over 5,000 had filled the hall that night.· Visitors fill Brighton's streets during the summer.
► mill around/about if a lot of people mill around , they move around a place in different directions, without any particular aim, especially while waiting for something: · People were milling around in the corridor, waiting for the show to start.· About 40 onlookers milled about while detectives examined the scene.
► swarm if a lot of people, especially people that you do not like or approve of, swarm around a particular place, they fill it and move around it: swarm across/along etc: · Every day tourists swarm through the narrow streets of the old city.· Hundreds of troops swarmed across the border.
when a place is full of people► crowded so full of people that it is difficult to move or find a place to sit or stand: · The train was really crowded.· a crowded elevatorcrowded with: · It was two weeks before Christmas and the mall was crowded with shoppers.
► packed also packed out informal so full of people that there is almost no space left: · The club is so popular that it's usually packed by 9 o'clock.packed with: · St Peter's Square was packed with tourists.jam-packed (=completely full): · The football ground was absolutely jam-packed.
► overcrowded a place that is overcrowded has too many people in it and is unpleasant and uncomfortable: · The buses are filthy and overcrowded.· overcrowded prisons
► be swarming with if a place is swarming with people it is so crowded with them that it is difficult to move around - use this especially when a place is full of people you disapprove of or when you are annoyed that a place is so crowded: · The place was swarming with noisy schoolkids.
► teeming very full of people and activity: · the teeming streets of Cairoteeming with: · It was the start of the new semester, and the campus was teeming with students.
WORD SETS► Insectsabdomen, nounant, nounantenna, nounanthill, nounaphid, nounbedbug, nounbee, nounbeetle, nounblack widow, nounbloodsucker, nounblow-fly, nounbluebottle, nounboll weevil, nounbookworm, nounbug, nounbumblebee, nounbutterfly, nouncaterpillar, nouncell, nouncentipede, nounchrysalis, nouncicada, nouncobweb, nouncockchafer, nouncockroach, nouncocoon, nouncomb, nouncrane fly, nouncreepy-crawly, nouncricket, noundaddy longlegs, noundragonfly, noundrone, nounearwig, nounentomology, nounfeeler, nounfirefly, nounflea, nounfly, verbfly, nounfruit fly, noungadfly, nounglow-worm, noungnat, noungossamer, noungrasshopper, noungreenfly, noungrub, nounhoneybee, nounhoneycomb, nounhornet, nounhorsefly, nounhousefly, nouninsect, nouninsectivore, nounkatydid, nounladybird, nounlarva, nounlice, nounlightning bug, nounlocust, nounlouse, nounmaggot, nounmantis, nounmayfly, nounmidge, nounmillipede, nounmite, nounmosquito, nounmoth, nounnectar, nounnest, nounnit, nounnymph, nounpest, nounpod, nounpraying mantis, nounproboscis, nounpupa, nounqueen, nounroach, nounsand fly, nounscarab, nounsilkworm, nounsilverfish, nounspider, nounspin, verbstick insect, nounsting, verbsting, nounstinger, nounsucker, nounswarm, nounswarm, verbtarantula, nountermite, nounthorax, nountick, nountortoiseshell, nountrilobite, nountsetse fly, nountzetze fly, nounvein, nounverminous, adjectivewasp, nounwater bug, nounweb, nounweevil, nounwing, nounwinged, adjectivewoodlouse, nounwoodworm, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► out
1[always + adverb/preposition] if people swarm somewhere, they go there as a large uncontrolled crowd: · The men of St Martial's swarmed out to drive off their enemies.· The people of Vicksburg, both soldiers and civilians, had swarmed out into the streets.· Do you really want to risk billions of nanomachines swarming out of control through your body?· Then the rear ramp was lowered and the squad swarmed out to set up a defensive perimeter around it.
► over· The snakes multiplied, swarming over her, binding her more tightly to the chair.· My pursuers swarmed over into the lane and seized me.· This summer will see 2,000 Friends of the Pleistocene swarming over the coastal range, whacking away with their hammers.· But many disbelieving locals have stayed behind, even as technicians in plastic suits and respirators swarm over the town.· The Tans had swarmed over the countryside looking for them after the execution.
► up· Crowds of men and women were swarming up the front steps to the three revolving doors.· Less than a hundred yards from the wall they swerved and re-grouped for a charge as the infantry swarmed up behind them.· They swarmed up Parkside and boarded buses bound for Putney, shouting unpleasant things at the driver-conductor.· He got out the cheating stick and clipped the peg, swarming up in a daisy chain of quick-draws.· There I saw the monster again, swarming up the cruel face.· You can't have Romeo swarming up the balcony in doublet, hose and hearing aid.· Depositing the cat, who flattened out immediately into a gross slumber, she swarmed up the mast.
Photographers were swarming around the princess.2if bees swarm, they leave a hive (=place where they live) in a large group to look for another homeswarm with somebody/something phrasal verb to be full of a moving crowd of people or animals: The museum was swarming with tourists.