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Synonyms

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

"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
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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Police just moved in en masse toward protesters.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026

Leicester's match away to Sale the following weekend will also feature the 'away end' concept, with Tigers fans given the option of sitting en masse with other travelling supporters.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Kuznetsova said residents of St. Petersburg, a city of 5.5 million people, have turned en masse to virtual private networks, which can circumvent bans on certain websites and messengers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

Treasury market en masse given the darkening U.S. fiscal outlook, Gimbel replied: “I think one thing to keep in mind is that currently markets don’t have a better, great option than U.S. Treasury debt.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 12, 2026

Then the March family turned out en masse, and Jo exerted herself to some purpose, for people not only came, but stayed, laughing at her nonsense, admiring Amy’s taste, and apparently enjoying themselves very much.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.