swarm

¹

[ swawrm ]

noun

1. a body of honeybees that emigrate from a hive and fly off together, accompanied by a queen, to start a new colony.
2. a body of bees settled together, as in a hive.
3. a great number of things or persons, especially in motion.

   Synonyms: host, horde, mass

4. Biology. a group or aggregation of free-floating or free-swimming cells or organisms.
5. Geology. a cluster of earthquakes or other geologic phenomena or features.

verb (used without object)

1. to fly off together in a swarm, as bees.
2. to move about, along, forth, etc., in great numbers, as things or persons.
3. to congregate, hover, or occur in groups or multitudes; be exceedingly numerous, as in a place or area.
4. (of a place) to be thronged or overrun; abound or teem:

   The beach swarms with children on summer weekends.

5. Biology. to move or swim about in a swarm.

verb (used with object)

1. to swarm about, over, or in; throng; overrun.
2. to produce a swarm of.

swarm

²

[ swawrm ]

verb (used with or without object)

1. to climb by clasping with the legs and hands or arms and drawing oneself up; shin.

swarm

¹

/ swɔːm /

verb

1. whenintr, usually foll by up to climb (a ladder, etc) by gripping with the hands and feet

   the boys swarmed up the rigging

swarm

²

/ swɔːm /

noun

1. a group of social insects, esp bees led by a queen, that has left the parent hive in order to start a new colony
2. a large mass of small animals, esp insects
3. a throng or mass, esp when moving or in turmoil

verb

1. intr (of small animals, esp bees) to move in or form a swarm
2. intr to congregate, move about or proceed in large numbers
3. whenintr, often foll by with to overrun or be overrun (with)

   the house swarmed with rats

4. tr to cause to swarm

Other Words From

• swarmer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of swarm¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English swearm; cognate with German Schwarm swarm, Old Norse svarmr “tumult”; the verb is derivative of the noun

Origin of swarm²

First recorded in 1540–50; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of swarm¹

C16: of unknown origin

Origin of swarm²

Old English swearm; related to Old Norse svarmr uproar, Old High German swaram swarm

Synonym Study

See crowd ¹.

Example Sentences

The group said it targeted the camp in northern Israel using a "swarm of drones".

From BBC

Kicking off the season in September was the aptly titled “Buzzkill,” which opens with a pilot losing control of his small plane after flying into a massive swarm of bees.

From Los Angeles Times

Watching a swarm of killer bees cause a plane crash is easy to follow, whether you know a character’s name is Athena Grant or you refer to her as “the cop played by Angela Bassett.”

From Los Angeles Times

"For the children who don't have a smartphone, they then swarm towards the phone."

From BBC

Beneath a floating canopy of lily pads in Cedar Lake, Canada, a swarm of western toad tadpoles glided gracefully through the water.

From BBC

Related Words

• bevy
• flock
• herd
• horde
• mob
• throng