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

De Boisse says they are merely reviving an old French tradition of dining en masse with good local fare that goes back into the depths of medieval history.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

They have already issued a warning to Israeli broadcaster, Kan, after its contestant released videos in various languages asking people to vote en masse for Israel; Kan removed the posts.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

Pro scouts were out en masse to see Orange Lutheran pitcher Cooper Sides, whose fastball touched 95 mph.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

But civilians are turning en masse to bitcoin, the world's leading cryptocurrency, which can be withdrawn from platforms and stored in personal wallets, beyond the authorities' reach.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

They got up en masse and went to Ulbrickson.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• altogether