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Which empire was the Golden Horde part of?

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horde

American  

[hawrd, hohrd] / hɔrd, hoʊrd /

noun

• hordes
  plural

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.

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verb (used without object)

horded, hording

1. to gather in a horde.

   The prisoners horded together in the compound.

horde British  

/ 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

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verb

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

Usage

What’s the difference between horde and hoard? Horde is a noun referring to a large group or mob of people, especially one considered in a negative way, as in I’d rather avoid the hordes of tourists. Hoard is a verb meaning to accumulate things and closely guard them, often in a greedy or excessive way, as in Dragons are known for hoarding treasure. It can also be used as a noun to collectively refer to the things that have been accumulated, as in a hoard of treasure. The word horde is also used in a more specific way to refer to a group of nomads. It is especially associated with the Mongol army of the 1200s (sometimes known as the Golden Horde). Horde can also be a verb, meaning to gather or move in a horde, but this use is much less common. Both words often relate to large groups, but a hoard is an accumulation of items, while a horde is a group of people (or animals). To remember which spelling to use, remember that nomadic hordes sometimes travel on horses. The word hoard, on the other hand, hoards the letter A all for itself. Here’s an example of horde and hoard used correctly in a sentence. Example: A horde of invaders sacked the city and looted the royal treasure hoard. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between hoard and horde.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hordes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of horde

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”); cf. Urdu

Explanation

Use the word horde to describe a large crowd: “A horde of people followed the pop star as he left the airport in Helsinki.” The noun horde is not for the sedate — the word typically is used to describe a group that is in motion, maybe even a little unruly, such as a horde of fans pursuing a film star or a horde of ants invading a picnic. If you are describing a calm, orderly gathering, the word group or crowd may be a better choice. You can save horde for the next time you need to describe, for example, your experience at a pre-Christmas sale (“A horde of holiday shoppers rushed toward the last discounted television set”).

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

horde hordes horded hording

Mick Jagger and Bianca Pérez-Mora Macías were forced to fight through a horde of journalists and tourists just to get to the chapel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

Police received multiple complaints as the horde of riders moved on to Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026

Despite relatively robust fundamentals and a horde of backers on Wall Street, the stock is down 27% in 2026.

From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026

This isn’t the first time unusual weather has spawned a mosquito horde in the region during what should be the insect’s offseason.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026

While Cluny’s horde was occupied he would snatch the tapestry and get back to Redwall with all speed.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

That night, a million hushed “sorry!’s” could be heard throughout the auditorium as hordes of alternatively inclined women — because there were mostly women — flattened themselves to move through their row.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The result sees hordes of onlookers regularly flock to certain parts of the UK coast each year to witness it first-hand during the nighttime hours.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

Whether or not hordes of international fans will take over I-95 on foot to get to the stadium is another question entirely.

From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026

Plus, there are fewer shopping malls to employ the vast hordes of teens during the summer months.

From Barron's ● May 25, 2026

Her face was sweet and tender, and, like Mr. Morton, she loved the vast hordes of unwashed and unwanted children more than she loved the cared-for ones.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Like these commodities, data siphoned by tech companies from COVID-19 screening may be the next asset to be horded and exploited.

From Slate ● Mar. 17, 2020

He got it from a fellow inmate, and he horded it under his bed. 

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2015

Outside the walls of Harrenhal, a wolf horded long and loud.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

Their chief places of resort, and where, during the inclemency of winter, they horded or housed together, were, Kirk Yetholm, Rothbury, Horncliff, Spittal, and Tweedmouth.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 7 by Various

Their attics were museums where were horded every sort of object against the time when it might be needed.

From Carl and the Cotton Gin by Sara Ware Bassett

Another market force at play is consumer behavior, in this case, hording.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 13, 2023

Cole has refused medical attention and ignored his personal hygiene, hording food and living in a darkened cell with little to no communication with staff or fellow prisoners, his attorneys told the panel.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 27, 2022

That could lead to some destructive outcomes if competing countries start collecting and hording arable land, Lazard said.

From Scientific American ● Mar. 16, 2022

Can you imagine if every rich person was so focused on making the world a better place, instead of either hording their wealth or squandering it on fancy junk and stoking their egos.

From New York Times ● Feb. 19, 2018

Your aristocracy is a base imitation of our snobby, revelling in the heartless hording of gold, and vaunting of bad English.'

From The Adventures of My Cousin Smooth by Timothy Templeton

Related Words

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