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

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

Two primary concerns have kept Americans from buying EVs en masse: the higher cost of battery-powered cars, and concerns over range—specifically, the availability of charging.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

As the lights suddenly turned off across Havana, residents who were sat outside to get some respite from the summer heat audibly groaned en masse.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

Yosho-to’s Japanese-Malayan dinner still en masse and riding my sternum like an elevator, one or the other of the Yoshotos began to moan in his or her sleep, just the other side of my wall.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

Related Words

• altogether