Definition

Noun 1. A moving crowd: A large, often disorderly group of people or animals moving together. 2. A nomadic community: A social or political group, especially a tribe or clan, that lives a nomadic lifestyle. 3. A vast multitude: An extremely large number of people or things.

Examples

• A horde of tourists descended on the small village.
• In history, a horde of Mongols swept across the plains.
• The store was overrun by a horde of shoppers on Black Friday.
• A horde of locusts can devastate crops.

Usage Notes

• The word horde often carries a negative connotation, suggesting a chaotic, overwhelming, or threatening mass. It is typically used to describe groups perceived as uncontrolled or invasive.
• It is commonly used with the preposition "of" (a horde something).
• Do not confuse horde with hoard (a secret store of valuables).

Advanced Usage

• "To descend like a horde": To arrive in a large, overwhelming, and often disruptive group.
  • Fans descended on the stadium like a horde.
• "Golden Horde": A specific historical term for the Mongol khanate that ruled parts of Eastern Europe and Russia in the 13th-15th centuries.

Variants and Related Words

• Hordes (plural noun): Multiple large groups.
  • Hordes of journalists waited outside the courthouse.

Synonyms

• Throng: A large, densely packed crowd of people or animals.
• Swarm: A large or dense group of insects, people, or things in motion.
• Multitude: A large number of people or things.
• Mass: A large body of matter with no definite shape, or a large number of people forming a unified body.

Idioms and Phrases

• Hordes of [something]: Used to emphasize an overwhelmingly large number.
  • The website was crashed by hordes of visitors.

Noun

1. a moving crowd
2. a nomadic community
3. a vast multitude