horde

American  

[hawrd, hohrd] / hɔrd, hoʊrd /

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.

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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.

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”); Urdu

Example Sentences

The working class La Villa neighborhood of Mexico City where the basilica is located fills with trucks festooned with with wreaths and Christmas lights and hordes of pilgrims camping in the streets.

From Los Angeles Times

Claudius has made himself a monarch again, standing at the head of a shrieking horde of desperate peasantry who believe he can unbar the door to that heavenly place.

From The Wall Street Journal

Think of social-media influencers whose friends and family don’t grasp the connection between having hordes of online followers and paying the bills.

From The Wall Street Journal

Sparta was an agrarian oligarchy whose muscle was its hoplite horde.

From The Wall Street Journal

“You took out the entire horde, and I could barely handle one overgrown furball.”

From Literature

Related Words

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