crowd 1 of 2

1
as in throng
a great number of persons or creatures massed together a huge crowd of fans was on hand to greet the returning World Series champions

Synonyms & Similar Words

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1
as in to stuff
to fit (people or things) into a tight space crowded all the boats into the harbor before the storm struck

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
as in to flock
to move upon or fill (something) in great numbers cars crowded the roads over the long holiday weekend

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun crowd differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of crowd are crush, horde, mob, and throng. While all these words mean "an assembled multitude," crowd implies a close gathering and pressing together.

a crowd gathered

Where would crush be a reasonable alternative to crowd?

The words crush and crowd are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, crush emphasizes the compactness of the group, the difficulty of individual movement, and the attendant discomfort.

a crush of fans

When might mob be a better fit than crowd?

While in some cases nearly identical to crowd, mob implies a disorderly crowd with the potential for violence.

an angry mob

How do throng and horde relate to one another, in the sense of crowd?

Both throng and horde suggest movement and pushing.

a throng of reporters
a horde of shoppers

Example 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 crowd
Noun
After his skirmish with Diarra, Neal waved his arms to fire up Creighton fans in the sellout crowd. Ryan Morik, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2025 James’ presence helped bring out one of the largest crowds (8,396) for a Friday night state final in years, and Sierra Canyon rallied in the fourth quarter behind Maximo Adams to pull out a 58-53 victory. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2025
Verb
But research has shown that across skill levels, immigrants and U.S.-born workers aren’t crowding each other out of the job market, said Samia Islam, a professor of economics at Boise State University. Carolyn Komatsoulis, Idaho Statesman, 1 Mar. 2025 Majors says congregants flooded to services dressed in their finest and crowded into the pale wood pews. Buffy Gorrilla, NPR, 28 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for crowd
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crowd
Noun
  • The rioters returned that night to Rock Springs, where a cheering throng of several hundred residents greeted them.
    Michael Luo, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Avoid Wednesday afternoon, because French children have no school, freeing throngs of families for museum-going.
    Elaine Sciolino, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Closing environmental justice offices will put communities at a disadvantage and will no longer help communities advocate for themselves.
    Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2025
  • With budget cuts looming, the VTC is imploring local businesses, community partners and donors to invest in workforce development and help shape the future of Baltimore’s economy.
    Todd Karpovich, Baltimore Sun, 16 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • For the eighth year in a row, Finland takes first place as the home of the planet’s happiest populace.
    Sandra MacGregor, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
  • This was preventable; with better, smarter leadership along with a populace that rewarded leadership for being proper stewards of the community and its assets.
    U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The impressive menu featured soft tacos stuffed with lentils and was followed by a ring of sunchokes, briefly in season, interspersed with radish and fennel; as well as maitake mushrooms with a vegetariandemiglace broth.
    Liza B. Zimmerman, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
  • There’s grizzled guys like the proprietor of Mines and Memories, a storefront dedicated to preserving the history of the town’s former economic engine, which stuffed with everything from B&W photos to hardhats donated by families that have lived in Creede for generations.
    Lauren Wissot, IndieWire, 10 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • But when the world was beginning to emerge from the pandemic in 2021, partiers flocked to Miami Beach and law enforcement was overwhelmed with more than 1,000 arrests.
    Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Americans are flocking to cash amid the market turmoil, with money market fund assets hitting a record $7.03 trillion as of the week ended Wednesday, according to the Investment Company Institute .
    Michelle Fox, CNBC, 7 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • One morning last month during the first week of camp, Weinstein paused the pitching machine and summoned a trio of Cubs catchers to huddle around him.
    Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2025
  • No doubt during frigid winter days, some pro-democracy protesters huddled in the Sushiya to stay warm and in the process ordered a few rolls.
    Tim Mak, Bon Appétit, 6 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Taylor Hill and Barbara Palvin made fast friends in the front row, with swarms of photographers snapping the two together.
    Rhonda Richford, WWD, 6 Mar. 2025
  • However, what stood out most was not the iconic monuments but the relentless swarm of locals pushing donkey and camel rides on him.
    Emese Maczko, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The series is about two sisters, but for the first half of the season, even by splitting the narrative into a bunch of flashbacks, Long Bright River can’t find a way to make that relationship rise to the surface.
    Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Setting up a solar mirror has to be -- and in real life absolutely would be -- as interesting as fighting a bunch of orcs in a room.
    Rob Wieland, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Crowd.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crowd. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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