bevy

American  

[bev-ee] / ˈbɛv i /

noun

bevies plural

1. a group of birds, as larks or quail, or animals, as roebuck, in close association.

   Synonyms:

   brood, flight, covey

2. a large group or collection.

   a bevy of boisterous sailors.

   Synonyms:

   company, assembly

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bevy British  

/ ˈbɛvɪ /

noun

1. a flock of quails

2. a group, esp of girls

3. a group of roedeer

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bevies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bevy

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English bevey, of obscure origin

Explanation

A bevy is a flock of birds. Although the term can be used for a variety of birds, it most often refers specifically to a bevy of quail. Other terms exist to describe flocks of other types of birds — a murder of crows, for example. A bevy can also describe a large gathering of people, usually of the same type (a bevy of schoolchildren; a bevy of tourists). Most often, however, bevy is used to refer to a gathering of women. At a family reunion, you may find your grandmother holding court in the kitchen with a bevy of female relations. Young, attractive women are sometimes referred to, somewhat poetically, as "a bevy of beauties."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bevy bevies

A bevy of leveraged exchange-traded funds tied to SpaceX made their debut on Monday and have already seen huge demand.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

A bevy of trial lawyers and other states are already trying to cash in on social media companies, arguing they are responsible for the travails of young people.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

Mary, on the other hand, is a clumsy bird who, in Hadlow’s telling, becomes a perfectly capable duckling swimming fiercely amid a bevy of swans.

From Salon ● May 20, 2026

After tech stocks put on a good show last week, with a lot of new material for the artificial intelligence debate, a bevy of consumer names are on tap.

From Barron's ● May 4, 2026

And since those decades were back in style during the nineties, we had a bevy of bell-bottoms, embroidered hippie tops, and flowing floral dresses to share between us.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

The two became not only financial associates but social pals, traveling on Low’s jet with bevies of other boldfaced names to parties all over the world.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 3, 2023

Author Baumann rescues bevies of these politicians from oblivion, restores them to public note.

From Time Magazine Archive

Willy-nilly every man, no matter how graceless his exterior, plays the polite host to bevies of little animals who pasture on his interior reaches.

From Time Magazine Archive

A Roman Catholic Marylander whose family has grown tobacco there since 1655. he has a strong craving for the gentleman farmer's life of herds, droves, flocks and bevies, of hunting, fishing and camping.

From Time Magazine Archive

A novelty also appeared on the triumphal arches in the streets, which, in place of wreaths and patriotic texts, carried whole bevies of the prettiest girls the city could find.

From Down Under With the Prince by Duncan, Sara Jeannette