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.

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en masse British  

/ ɑ̃ mas /

adverb

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

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en masse Cultural  

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

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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.

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Etymology

Origin of en masse

Borrowed into English from French around 1795–1805

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

en masse

Earlier this year, tech-savvy power users bought Mac Minis en masse to run agents locally.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

I’m no expert, but I don’t think their mating rituals involve using the New York Times to plead their case or, when that doesn’t work, threatening to move en masse to Tennessee.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

It’s unheard of, an abuse of power, and demoralizing to make senior leadership submit to testing en masse.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

History buffs arrived early en masse to catch a glimpse of the opening.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

The Carter team, for no apparent reason, edged over to the Permian sideline en masse.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Related Words

• altogether