multitude

American  

[muhl-ti-tood, -tyood] / ˈmʌl tɪˌtud, -ˌtjud /

noun

multitudes plural

1. a great number; host.

   a multitude of friends.

2. a great number of people gathered together; crowd; throng.

   Synonyms:

   mass

3. the state or character of being many; numerousness.

4. the multitude, the common people; the masses.

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multitude British  

/ ˈmʌltɪˌtjuːd /

noun

1. a large gathering of people

2. the common people

3. a large number

4. the state or quality of being numerous

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Synonym Usage

See crowd ¹.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• multitudes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of multitude

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English word from Latin word multitūdō. See multi-, -tude

Explanation

A multitude is a very large number or a huge crowd. If you see a multitude of zombies approaching, you're in trouble. Sometimes the word multitude refers to the common people, or the masses — that is, everyone in a society apart from the political elite. There are a lot of words and phrases for this, like hoi polloi, which is Greek for "the many," and "the great unwashed." Those last two terms are usually used in a disapproving way, but multitudes is generally a positive term. If you were to say that a leader inspired the multitudes to rise up against their oppressor, we'd assume that you sympathized with the multitudes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

multitude multitudes

Combining a multitude of African dance styles, comedy and pure joy, they soon caught the attention of Ugandan musicians including Eddy Kenzo, who asked them to feature in some of his videos.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Law enforcement is stretched, the multitude of wells is draining the aquifer and some residents’ low wages result in reliance on social services, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Still, the results are likely to boost the multitude of lawsuits working their way through courts across the country.

From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026

Stacey and fellow music supervisor Evyen Klean came on board in the script phase to help plan out the multitude of songs that are heard as the characters travel through the tournament.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

So many talents, so many different attractions, so much money, elegance, and beauty on display, but—and it’s a trivial observation—this multitude of desiderata is inevitably spread out among a large group of people.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

What’s more, you are also donating to a food bank to put food into the backpacks of multitudes of children.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 20, 2026

In response to her complaints, the filing says, the company "retaliated against her, demonetizing her X account and generating multitudes more images of her".

From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2026

I can say, while at the CIA, we received overtures from industry in multitudes each day.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025

Today, the penacho on display in Vienna is the only surviving feathered headdress among the multitudes that once proliferated in the region.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2025

If only I had truly taken advantage of the situation, seized and held and prized the multitudes of advantages the summer offered me; if only I had.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Related Words

• horde
• legion
• myriad
• slew
• throng