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definitions

crowd

1
[kroud]
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noun

verb (used without object)

to gather in large numbers; throng; swarm.
to press forward; advance by pushing.

verb (used with object)

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RELATED WORDS

throng, swamp, stream, congest, cluster, deluge, gather, huddle, swarm, congregate, pile, flock, squeeze, pack, overcrowd, bundle, squish, shove, muster, ram

Nearby words

  1. crow-pheasant,
  2. crowbait,
  3. crowbar,
  4. crowberry,
  5. crowboot,
  6. crowd pleaser,
  7. crowd puller,
  8. crowd surf,
  9. crowd-pleaser,
  10. crowded

Idioms

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

Origin of crowd

1
before 950; Middle English crowden, Old English crūden to press, hurry; cognate with Middle Dutch crūden to push (Dutch kruien)
Related formscrowd·er, noun

Synonym study

1. 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.

Usage note

See collective noun.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for crowding

British Dictionary definitions for crowding

crowd

1

noun

a large number of things or people gathered or considered together
a particular group of people, esp considered as a social or business setthe crowd from the office
  1. the crowdthe common people; the masses
  2. (as modifier)crowd ideas
follow the crowd to conform with the majority

verb

(intr) to gather together in large numbers; throng
(tr) to press together into a confined space
(tr) to fill to excess; fill by pushing into
(tr) informal to urge or harass by urging
crowd on sail nautical to hoist as much sail as possible
Derived Formscrowded, adjectivecrowdedly, adverbcrowdedness, nouncrowder, noun

Word Origin for crowd

Old English crūdan; related to Middle Low German krūden to molest, Middle Dutch crūden to push, Norwegian kryda to swarm

crowd

2

noun

music an ancient bowed stringed instrument; crwth

Word Origin for crowd

C13: from Welsh crwth
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for crowding
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for crowding

crowding

[krou′dĭng]

n.

A condition in which the teeth are crowded in the dental arch, assuming altered positions, as by overlapping and twisting.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Idioms and Phrases with crowding

crowd

see follow the crowd; three's a crowd.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.