en masse
[ ahn mas, en; French ahn mas ]
/ ɑn ˈmæs, ɛn; French ɑ̃ ˈmas /
adverb
in a mass; all together; as a group: The people rushed to the gate en masse.
QUIZZES
DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?
"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
Origin of en masse
Borrowed into English from French around 1795–1805
Words nearby en masse
en déshabillé, en face, en famille, en fête, en garde, en masse, en papillote, en passant, en pension, en plein, en plein air
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for en masse
It was mass production—you did things by rote, en-masse—no individuality.
David Lannarck, Midget|George S. Harney
British Dictionary definitions for en masse
en masse
/ (French ɑ̃ mas) /
adverb
in a group, body, or mass; as a whole; all together
Word Origin for en masse
C19: from French
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
Cultural definitions for en masse
en masse
[ (ahn mas) ]
A French phrase meaning “in a large body”: “The protesters left en masse for the White House.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Idioms and Phrases with en masse
en masse
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.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.