crowded
Americanadjective
-
filled to excess; packed.
-
filled with a crowd.
crowded streets.
-
uncomfortably close together.
crowded passengers on a bus.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of crowded
Explanation
Places that are crowded are packed with people. During rush hour, you might decide not to get onto a crowded subway car, but wait for the next one, hoping it will be less crowded. Rock concerts are often crowded, and sometimes classrooms are so crowded with students that it makes the teacher's job harder. Tokyo is a crowded city, especially compared to Dubuque, Iowa, and shopping malls generally become crowded on the weekend before Christmas. These places are all crowded with people, but you could also say that a field is crowded with cows or your friend's house is crowded with cats. The Old English root is crudan, "to press."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It brought Jaguar from the back pages to the front pages, given that it was dying in a crowded international market," says Schmidt.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
As the rest of the market wobbled, investors crowded back into tech.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Where particles are more crowded, they are more likely to meet and form hydrogen.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
Nigeria officially moved its capital from thronging, crowded Lagos in 1991.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
Down on the street, vehicles and pedestrians crowded the sidewalks and road, moving in every direction.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
