plural hoardings
1
a
: the practice of collecting or accumulating something (such as money or food)
The hoarding and misuse of resources was uncommon even in times of natural disaster …—
Tanvi Nagpal
Tanvi Nagpal
b
: something that is hoarded
—usually plural
Inside the net with us was a large brown paper bag, spewing forth the Halloween hoardings of the child in the gorilla suit …—John Irving
John Irving2
psychology
: the compulsion to continually accumulate a variety of items that are often considered useless or worthless by others accompanied by an inability to discard the items without great distress
Hoarding is marked by an overwhelming desire to collect items and an inability to discard things that may seem useless, to such a point that the collections cause stress and start impacting a person's health, career or relationships.—Erin Allday
Erin AlldayPeople justify hoarding as curating and recycling, deeming odd objects beautiful and useful.—Peter D. Kramer
see also hoarding disorder
Peter D. Kramer
plural hoardings
1
: a temporary board fence put about a building being erected or repaired
called also hoard
2
British
: billboard
Examples of hoarding in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024
Some people engaging in food hoarding behaviors may isolate out of shame or feel more comfortable being around food versus being out in public.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 21 June 2024
Harper is a totally different dog than the pup rescued from a hoarding case several years ago.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 3 Oct. 2024
Forty parrots are safe in Nashville after they were saved from Kentucky in an animal hoarding case.
—Axios Nashville, Axios, 2 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hoarding 
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Noun
Recent toilet-paper hoarding was more prevalent among Americans than Europeans and more prevalent among the old than the young.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024
Some people engaging in food hoarding behaviors may isolate out of shame or feel more comfortable being around food versus being out in public.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 21 June 2024
Harper is a totally different dog than the pup rescued from a hoarding case several years ago.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 3 Oct. 2024
Forty parrots are safe in Nashville after they were saved from Kentucky in an animal hoarding case.
—Axios Nashville, Axios, 2 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hoarding
Articles Related to hoarding
Dictionary Entries Near hoarding
Cite this Entry
“Hoarding.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hoarding. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
hoarding
noun
hoard·ing
ˈhȯrd-iŋ 
: the compulsion to continually accumulate a variety of items that are often considered useless or worthless by others accompanied by an inability to discard the items without great distress
Hoarding is marked by an overwhelming desire to collect items and an inability to discard things that may seem useless, to such a point that the collections cause stress and start impacting a person's health, career or relationships.—Erin Allday
Erin AlldayPeople justify hoarding as curating and recycling, deeming odd objects beautiful and useful.—Peter D. Kramer
see hoarding disorder
Peter D. KramerLove words? Need even more definitions?
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