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

---

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

See Examples For:

en masse

So is the proud Iranian diaspora showing up en masse to mostly support Team Melli twice, in draws with New Zealand and Belgium.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

He says he deleted his Instagram account in 2025, adding: "If people en masse started to say, 'I'm out, I'm done, forget it,' the company would pay attention."

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 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

Nature-loving travelers from around the globe are bugging out over the fireflies, descending en masse on isolated stretches of the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 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

Related Words

• altogether