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

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

Neither the Fort nor HiberTec will be saving anyone en masse immediately.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

On the Aybasti plateau in the northeastern Ordu province, villagers turned out en masse earlier this month to protest plans to mine an area they use for farming.

From Barron's ● May 15, 2026

The guys, as other officers had noted, were just doing what we’d been taught to do inside prison when one of us was threatened: respond en masse.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Related Words

• altogether