throng

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a multitude of assembled persons
b
: a large number : host entry 4
2
a
: a crowding together of many persons
b
: a pressing increase of activity
this throng of businessS. R. Crockett

throng

2 of 2

verb

thronged; thronging ˈthrȯŋ-iŋ How to pronounce throng (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to crowd upon : press
a celebrity thronged by fans
2
: to crowd into : pack
shoppers thronging the streets

intransitive verb

: to crowd together in great numbers
Choose the Right Synonym for throng

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 throng in a Sentence

Noun grabbed a megaphone and addressed the vast throng Verb Shoppers thronged the mall for the sales. fans thronged the field to celebrate the win
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
For the throngs of fans inside the venue, from the floor area up to the rafters, Saturday night’s show was nothing short of headbanging excitement. David Chiu, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024 The film seems more concerned with what others — the media, the throngs outside the courthouse — expect Joker to be. Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 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 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English throng, thrang "mass, press," going back to Old English *thrang or gethrang (with ge-, collective prefix), going back to West Germanic *þrang- (whence Middle Dutch gedranc "crowd, press," dranc, drang "pressure," Old High German gidrang "crowd, mass"), noun ablaut derivative from the base of Germanic *þrengan-,*þrenhan- "to press" (whence Old Saxon thringan "to press, urge," Old High German dringan, thringan, Old Norse þryngva "to press, crowd," Gothic þreihan), going back to dialectal Indo-European *trenk- "press," whence also Lithuanian trenkiù, treñkti "to push roughly, fling"

Verb

Middle English thrangen, throngen, probably derivative of throng, thrang throng entry 1, replacing thringen, going back to Old English thringan

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of throng was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near throng

Cite this Entry

“Throng.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/throng. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

throng

1 of 2 noun
1
: a large number of people gathered together
a throng of over 3000
2
: a large number : crowd
a throng of fans
a throng of cars

throng

2 of 2 verb
thronged; thronging ˈthrȯŋ-iŋ How to pronounce throng (audio)
1
: to crowd upon or into
a celebrity thronged by fans
shoppers thronged the mall
2
: to move, pass, or crowd together in great numbers
the commuters thronged towards the station

More from Merriam-Webster on throng

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