crowd

¹ American  

[kroud] / kraʊd /

noun

1. a large number of persons gathered closely together; throng.

   a crowd of angry people.

2. any large number of persons.

3. any group or set of persons with something in common.

   The restaurant attracts a theater crowd.

4. audience; attendance.

   Opening night drew a good crowd.

5. the common people; the masses.

   He feels superior to the crowd.

   Synonyms:

   populace, plebeians, proletariat

6. a large number of things gathered or considered together.

7. Sociology. a temporary gathering of people responding to common stimuli and engaged in any of various forms of collective behavior.

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verb (used without object)

1. to gather in large numbers; throng; swarm.

   Synonyms:

   thrust, drive, herd, assemble

2. to press forward; advance by pushing.

verb (used with object)

1. to press closely together; force into a confined space; cram.

   to crowd clothes into a suitcase.

2. to push; shove.

3. to fill to excess; fill by pressing or thronging into.

4. to place under pressure or stress by constant solicitation.

   to crowd a debtor for payment; to crowd someone with embarrassing questions.

idioms

1. crowd on sail, to carry a press of sail.

crowd ² American  

[kroud] / kraʊd /

Also crwth

noun

Music.

1. an ancient Celtic musical instrument with the strings stretched over a rectangular frame, played with a bow.

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crowd ¹ British  

/ kraʊd /

noun

1. a large number of things or people gathered or considered together

2. a particular group of people, esp considered as a social or business set

   the crowd from the office

3. 1. the common people; the masses

   2. ( as modifier )

      crowd ideas

4. to conform with the majority

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verb

1. (intr) to gather together in large numbers; throng

2. (tr) to press together into a confined space

3. (tr) to fill to excess; fill by pushing into

4. informal (tr) to urge or harass by urging

5. nautical to hoist as much sail as possible

crowd ² British  

/ kraʊd /

noun

1. music an ancient bowed stringed instrument; crwth

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crowd More Idioms  

1. see follow the crowd; three's a crowd.

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Grammar

See collective noun.

Usage

What is a basic definition of crowd? A crowd is a large group of people or an audience. Crowd also means to cram closely together. Crowd has several other senses as a noun and a verb. The word crowd can be used to describe any large group of people. Often, crowd is used to specifically mean that the people are standing close together. If a location has a large number of people in a small area, it is said to be crowded.

• Real-life examples: A protest often involves a crowd of angry people. Crowds are often broken up when they get too large and unruly. You are very likely to see huge crowds in large cities like Los Angeles or in popular amusement parks like Disney World.
• Used in a sentence: My sister got lost in the crowd of businesspeople boarding the subway car. 

In this sense, crowd is used as a verb to mean to gather together in large numbers.

• Used in a sentence: We crowded around the trained monkey to watch it dance. 

Crowd is also used to mean an audience, even if not many people are in the audience.

• Real-life examples: Musicians, circus performers, actors, and comedians perform in front of a crowd. Politicians often give speeches to a crowd. Every producer wants to attract a large crowd to a show so they make more money.
• Used in a sentence: She received a standing ovation from the crowd. 

Crowd can also specifically mean a group of people who have something in common.

• Used in a sentence: I don’t really fit in with this artsy crowd. 

As a verb, crowd means to pack or cram closely together in a tight space.

• Used in a sentence: Twelve clowns crowded into the tiny car.

Related Words

Crowd, multitude, swarm, throng refer to large numbers of people. Crowd suggests a jostling, uncomfortable, and possibly disorderly company: A crowd gathered to listen to the speech. Multitude emphasizes the great number of persons or things but suggests that there is space enough for all: a multitude of people at the market on Saturdays. Swarm as used of people is usually contemptuous, suggesting a moving, restless, often noisy, crowd: A swarm of dirty children played in the street. Throng suggests a company that presses together or forward, often with some common aim: The throng pushed forward to see the cause of the excitement.

Other Word Forms

• crowded adjective
• crowdedly adverb
• crowdedness noun
• crowder noun

Etymology

Origin of crowd¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English verb crouden, cruden, croden, Old English crūdan, crēodan “to press, hurry”; cognate with Middle Dutch crūden “to push,” Middle Low German krūden to annoy”

Origin of crowd²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English croud, crouth, from Welsh crwth; crwth

Explanation

A lot of people or things in a large group make up a crowd. The masses of performers with painted faces, big shoes, and squeaky noses filling up the streets during your town's annual clown parade can be described as a crowd of clowns. A crowd of people might gather for a party, concert, or demonstration, with the word crowd implying that there's something a little disorderly — noisy or unruly — about the group. Crowd can also mean "the mass of ordinary people," which is the way you're using the word when you say you want to "stand out from the crowd." You want to be seen as a distinct, individual person, rather than part of a larger mass of regular folks.

Example Sentences

“How far back do you go?” he asked the crowd at one point.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

At least a dozen players were within three strokes of the lead at some point, and that crowd included the top-three players in the world rankings: Scheffler, McIlroy and Young.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

Being crowned world champions in front of a record women's rugby crowd of 81,885 at Allianz Stadium set the bar very high for John Mitchell's England.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

The “Nasty” video’s feminist empowerment pageant makes it stand out, as it begins with Jackson and Abdul squeezing past a crowd of catcallers to enter a movie theater.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026

At the front of the crowd, a microphone was on a stand at the back of the building.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

• cluster
• congest
• congregate
• deluge
• flock
• gather
• huddle
• overcrowd
• pack
• pile
• squeeze
• stream
• swamp
• swarm
• throng