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Synonyms

en masse

American  
[ahn mas, en, ahn mas] / ɑn ˈmæs, ɛn, ɑ̃ ˈmas /

adverb

  1. in a mass; all together; as a group.

    The people rushed to the gate en masse.
en masse British  
/ ɑ̃ mas /

adverb

  1. in a group, body, or mass; as a whole; all together

"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
en masse Cultural  

  1. A French phrase meaning “in a large body”: “The protesters left en masse for the White House.”

en masse Idioms  

  1. In one group or body; all together. For example, The activists marched en masse to the capitol. This French term, with exactly the same meaning, was adopted into English about 1800.

Etymology

Origin of en masse

Borrowed into English from French around 1795–1805

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.

Pro scouts were out en masse to see Orange Lutheran pitcher Cooper Sides, whose fastball touched 95 mph.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

But civilians are turning en masse to bitcoin, the world's leading cryptocurrency, which can be withdrawn from platforms and stored in personal wallets, beyond the authorities' reach.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

And it said the cancellation en masse of non-urgent care, such as knee and hip replacements, had a "debilitating effect" on patients' lives and mobility.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

Kuznetsova said residents of St. Petersburg, a city of 5.5 million people, have turned en masse to virtual private networks, which can circumvent bans on certain websites and messengers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

The seniors have a tradition of going out to breakfast en masse one morning in the spring.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

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.