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
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
A horde of tourists entered the museum. Hordes of reporters were shouting questions.
Recent Examples on the Web Spotting a horde of them lingering in residential neighborhoods, outside of a Dunkin’, or roaming through Nubian Square can catch people off guard — and in some cases, instill fear. 
Shannon Larson, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Aug. 2022 The Freedom Riders narrowly escaped the burning bus, only to find themselves under assault by the waiting horde. Lucia Cheng, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 July 2022 Cameras mounted high on the Capitol Rotunda captured the horde breaking through police lines and rampaging to the Capitol. Mike Debonis, Washington Post, 10 June 2022 While some of those VFX shots are obvious — the ground splitting open into lava, a horde of demonic bats attacking the heroes — others are designed to be hidden from the audience. Wilson Chapman, Variety, 26 July 2022 Steve Carell’s lovable supervillain Gru and his horde of yellow minions have been box-office stars since their debut. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 1 July 2022 Other celebrities and Hollywood stars followed, along with a horde of paparazzi. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2022 Even hopping on the free shuttles that stop for fresh views along the South Rim every mile or so is enough to leave most of the horde behind. Frederick Reimers, Outside Online, 4 Dec. 2018 The guy refuses, despite William's threats, and returns home to find a horde of buzzing flies in his walk-in closet. Ashley Boucher, EW.com, 27 June 2022 See More
Shannon Larson, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Aug. 2022 The Freedom Riders narrowly escaped the burning bus, only to find themselves under assault by the waiting horde. Lucia Cheng, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 July 2022 Cameras mounted high on the Capitol Rotunda captured the horde breaking through police lines and rampaging to the Capitol. Mike Debonis, Washington Post, 10 June 2022 While some of those VFX shots are obvious — the ground splitting open into lava, a horde of demonic bats attacking the heroes — others are designed to be hidden from the audience. Wilson Chapman, Variety, 26 July 2022 Steve Carell’s lovable supervillain Gru and his horde of yellow minions have been box-office stars since their debut. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 1 July 2022 Other celebrities and Hollywood stars followed, along with a horde of paparazzi. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2022 Even hopping on the free shuttles that stop for fresh views along the South Rim every mile or so is enough to leave most of the horde behind. Frederick Reimers, Outside Online, 4 Dec. 2018 The guy refuses, despite William's threats, and returns home to find a horde of buzzing flies in his walk-in closet. Ashley Boucher, EW.com, 27 June 2022 See More 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
ˈhȯrd
: multitude, swarm
a horde of ants
hordes
noun
as in throngs
a great number of persons or creatures massed together a horde of mosquitoes hordes of tourists from the cruise ship crowded the shops and cafes Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- throngs
- swarms
- crowds
- flocks
- masses
- multitudes
- legions
- armies
- masses
- mobs
- droves
- millions
- herds
- bikes
- routs
- hosts
- crushes
- crams
- presses
- gaggles
- riffraffs
- piles
- rabbles
- rabblements
- scrums
- heaps
- mountains
- jams
- logjams
