en masse

American  

[ahn mas, en, ahn mas] / ɑn ˈmæs, ɛn, ɑ̃ ˈmas /

adverb

1. in a mass; all together; as a group.

   The people rushed to the gate en masse.

---

en masse British  

/ ɑ̃ mas /

adverb

1. in a group, body, or mass; as a whole; all together

---

en masse Cultural  

1. A French phrase meaning “in a large body”: “The protesters left en masse for the White House.”

---

en masse Idioms  

1. In one group or body; all together. For example, The activists marched en masse to the capitol. This French term, with exactly the same meaning, was adopted into English about 1800.

---

Etymology

Origin of en masse

Borrowed into English from French around 1795–1805

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

en masse

However, it is possible to extract healthy symbionts and culture them -- and the team is now thinking about ways to re-introduce them en masse to bleached coral.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

I’m no expert, but I don’t think their mating rituals involve using the New York Times to plead their case or, when that doesn’t work, threatening to move en masse to Tennessee.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Fans of the iconic figure, who died last December at the age of 91, have been coming en masse to contemplate the nearly 300 lots on display at the Drouot sale rooms in central Paris.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

It’s unheard of, an abuse of power, and demoralizing to make senior leadership submit to testing en masse.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

But as a high-end name is adopted en masse, high-end parents begin to abandon it.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• altogether

---