horde

[ hawrd, hohrd ]

noun

1. a large group, multitude, number, etc.; a mass or crowd:

   a horde of tourists.

   Synonyms: throng, herd, mob

2. a tribe or troop of Asian nomads.
3. any nomadic group.
4. a moving pack or swarm of animals:

   A horde of mosquitoes invaded the camp.

verb (used without object)

, hord·ed, hord·ing.

1. to gather in a horde:

   The prisoners horded together in the compound.

horde

/ hɔːd /

noun

1. a vast crowd; throng; mob
2. a local group of people in a nomadic society
3. a nomadic group of people, esp an Asiatic group
4. a large moving mass of animals, esp insects

verb

1. intr to form, move in, or live in a horde

Usage

Horde is sometimes wrongly written where hoard is meant: a hoard (not horde ) of gold coins

Word History and Origins

Origin of horde¹

First recorded in 1545–55; earlier also hord, horda, ultimately from Czech, Polish horda, from Ukrainian dialect gordá, Ukrainian ordá, Old Russian (originally in the phrase Zolotaya orda “the Golden Horde”), via Mongolian or directly from Turkic ordu, orda “royal residence or camp” (later, “any military encampment, army”); Urdu

Word History and Origins

Origin of horde¹

C16: from Polish horda, from Turkish ordū camp; compare Urdu

Example Sentences

When Roberts jokingly suggested in spring training that since-released Jason Heyward serve as Ohtani’s unofficial spokesman for the media horde tasked to cover him, dozens of reporters descended upon the veteran outfielder the following day.

From Los Angeles Times

Every man in the film is repellent, even the hunks, and as the film goes on, they metastasize into an anonymous graying horde.

From Los Angeles Times

That’s when police discovered a horde of explicit images and videos of unconscious women, on not just his phone but also other devices he used.

From Los Angeles Times

Sure, it looked like a prop from a Stan Winston zombie horde workshop, but no one could argue that the placenta wasn’t a determined champion of early life.

From Slate

Setting aside the ethical queries, at one point, the physical power of the horde is simply too great to overcome.

From Salon

Related Words

• crowd
• crush
• gang
• mob
• multitude
• swarm