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

---

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

See Examples For:

en masse

He says he deleted his Instagram account in 2025, adding: "If people en masse started to say, 'I'm out, I'm done, forget it,' the company would pay attention."

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

At the end of Season 1, their cover being blown, and humans being famously weird when it comes to extraterrestrials — you’ve seen the movies — they return home en masse, except for Sugar.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

In Belfast itself, local communities have gathered en masse to support their immigrant neighbors, whether by hiding them from roving mobs or raising money to repair their homes and businesses.

From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026

Nature-loving travelers from around the globe are bugging out over the fireflies, descending en masse on isolated stretches of the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

They got up en masse and went to Ulbrickson.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• altogether