en masse

[ ahn mas, en; French ahn mas ]

adverb

1. in a mass; all together; as a group:

   The people rushed to the gate en masse.

en masse

/ ɑ̃ mas /

adverb

1. in a group, body, or mass; as a whole; all together

en masse

1. A French phrase meaning “in a large body”: “The protesters left en masse for the White House .”

Word History and Origins

Origin of en masse¹

Borrowed into English from French around 1795–1805

Word History and Origins

Origin of en masse¹

C19: from French

Idioms and Phrases

In one group or body; all together. For example, The activists marched en masse to the capitol . This French term, with exactly the same meaning, was adopted into English about 1800.

Example Sentences

Should ICE detain people en masse, certain immigrants may be unable to pay bonds, and language barriers will compound all those issues, she said.

From Salon

But even a partial realization of their plans could severely disrupt government services essential for a functioning society, especially if they end up firing federal workers en masse or inducing them to retire.

From Salon

And his plans to fire agency employees en masse will run into federal protections and the slow process for dismissing government workers.

From Science Magazine

"It doesn't always look great," Watters said, briefly grappling with the reality of sending police to deport people en masse.

From Salon

The move — if adopted en masse by the private aircraft — could block scientists like Gössling from determining what model aircraft it is — which researchers need to calculate carbon dioxide emissions.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• altogether