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)

• crowds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• crowded,
  past participle,  past
• crowding
  present participle

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

   Synonyms:

   thrust, drive, herd, assemble

2. to press forward; advance by pushing.

verb (used with object)

• crowds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• crowded,
  past participle,  past
• crowding
  present participle

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.

Synonym Usage

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Participles

• crowding
  present
• crowded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• crowd
  simple
• crowds
  simple
• have crowded
  perfect
• has crowded
  perfect
• am crowding
  progressive
• are crowding
  progressive
• is crowding
  progressive
• have been crowding
  perfect progressive
• has been crowding
  perfect progressive

Past

• crowded
  simple
• had crowded
  perfect
• was crowding
  progressive
• were crowding
  progressive
• had been crowding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will crowd
  simple
• will have crowded
  perfect
• will be crowding
  progressive
• will have been crowding
  perfect progressive

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; see also 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

See Examples For:

crowd crowds crowded crowding

“It is so crazy to think about everything that can happen in the space of a year,” she told the crowd.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

In Paris, onstage at the Accor Arena, Dean shimmied and swayed, tossed her hair with her hands and spurred the crowd to sing along.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Speaking to the crowd, VW Works Council chief Daniela Cavallo earned hearty applause as she accused management of keeping employees in the dark.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

“Thankfully we’re not always pushing a message. Sometimes it is just about entertaining the crowd at all costs.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

Large decorative pieces were displayed singly on tables and cabinets so as not to crowd the eye.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

The size of her crowds has ballooned over the past 12 months, and when listeners discover her tracks, they often cling to them like a raft in a storm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Irene Ameja travelled from neighbouring Baringo county to cater to the crowds.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

Along the disused line from Woljeong-ri towards Baengmagoji station to the south -- the section to be restored under the peace project -- vegetation crowds both sides of the tracks, nearly swallowing a stone wall.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

Pint-holding crowds standing outside “adds to the buzz of the area,” said George O’Mahoney, 27, who regularly enjoys an after-work pint.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Cat and Harriet weaved their way through the crowds.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

"It's a very crowded market," said Joost van Dreunen, a professor at New York University's Stern School of Business and a specialist in the economics of video games.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

At least 20 more crowded by the pickup stand.

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

The centre-backs signed are technical, comfortable on the ball, and capable of playing risky, progressive passes through crowded midfields.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

“It’s just so crowded and so overpopulated with the little tiny roads that we still have from 1990,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

I twisted and squirmed through the crowded aisles to the rear where the prayer service was just ending.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

He called on the supporters of the ex-cricket captain -- who remains Pakistan's dominant political personality -- to abide by his party's agreement with the court that there "must not be any crowding or commotion".

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

September, though, “may be a different conversation,” as seasonality gets harder, and position crowding becomes a possibility.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

To be sure, AI might be sucking up so many resources that it is actually crowding out other parts of the economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Many people no longer have space for their third molars – leading to impaction, crowding and often requiring surgical removal.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

She thought of Dyedka’s Slavist worship, and of Mama's prayers on Shabbat, and wondered what the tsar’s new churches were crowding out.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Related Words

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