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.
In a crowded and competitive market, long-term adherence – shaped as much by tolerability as by efficacy – is probably a critical differentiator.
From Science Daily • Jul. 8, 2026
While the free version of The Hill has been growing, the new subscription product enters a crowded field of digital programs and platforms aimed at the consumers of political news.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026
During the day, he loads it with heavy goods that he hauls around Old Delhi’s crowded wholesale markets.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026
"The world to a lot of us is very loud, very noisy, very crowded, very bright, very smelly, and it's exhausting suppressing your response to all of this and carrying on."
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026
The crowded streets reek of rotten fish, and it pains me to see Father limping again.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
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.
