en masse

[ahn mas, en, ahn mas]

adverb

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

   The people rushed to the gate en masse.

en masse

/ ɑ̃ mas /

adverb

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

en masse

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of en masse¹

Borrowed into English from French around 1795–1805

Word History and Origins

Origin of en masse¹

C19: from French

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Related Words

• altogether