hoard
Americannoun
-
hoards
plural
verb (used with object)
-
hoards,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hoarded,
past participle, past
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hoarding
present participle
verb (used without object)
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hoards,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hoarded,
past participle, past
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hoarding
present participle
noun
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an accumulated store hidden away for future use
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a cache of ancient coins, treasure, etc
verb
Usage
What’s the difference between hoard and horde? Hoard is a verb meaning to accumulate things and closely guard them, often in a greedy or excessive way, as in Dragons are known for hoarding treasure. It can also be used as a noun to collectively refer to the things that have been accumulated, as in a hoard of treasure. Horde is a noun referring to a large group or mob of people, especially one considered in a negative way, as in I’d rather avoid the hordes of tourists. The word horde is also used in a more specific way to refer to a group of nomads. It is especially associated with the Mongol army of the 1200s (sometimes known as the Golden Horde). Horde can also be a verb, meaning to gather or move in a horde, but this use is much less common. Both words often relate to large groups, but a hoard is an accumulation of items, while a horde is a group of people (or animals). To remember which spelling to use, remember that nomadic hordes sometimes travel on horses. The word hoard, on the other hand, hoards the letter A all for itself. Here’s an example of hoard and horde used correctly in a sentence. Example: A horde of invaders sacked the city and looted the royal treasure hoard. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between hoard and horde.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
hoardsimple
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hoardssimple
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have hoardedperfect
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has hoardedperfect
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am hoardingprogressive
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are hoardingprogressive
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is hoardingprogressive
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have been hoardingperfect progressive
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has been hoardingperfect progressive
Past
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hoardedsimple
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had hoardedperfect
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was hoardingprogressive
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were hoardingprogressive
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had been hoardingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hoard
First recorded before 900; Middle English hord(e), Old English hord; cognate with Old Norse hodd, Old High German hort, Gothic huzd “treasure”; hide 1, hide 2
Explanation
To hoard is to save something (or lots of things) for future use. Squirrels hoard nuts for the winter. Old ladies tend to hoard canned food and used plastic bags. People have been using the word hoard for both "to hide" and "treasure" for centuries; as both a verb and as a noun. Some hoard valuables, such as money, jewelry, and family antiques. Others build up a hoard, or cache, of things that aren't worth money but are important to them — like comic books or match books.
Vocabulary lists containing hoard
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme
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Beowulf
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
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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.
See Examples For:
A metal detectorist has revealed his "quite extraordinary" discovery of a second Bronze Age hoard in the Scottish Borders.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
A former senior CIA official who was arrested in May with a hoard of hundreds of gold bars worth more than $45 million in his home pleaded guilty to fraud on Tuesday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
He actually uses his reservations, but you can imagine people using agents to hoard tables, or the human user not realizing the agent booked a table and the restaurant being stuck with a no-show.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
“And if you don’t do that, the chances are much greater that you’re just going to hoard it.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
Rishi had drawn a hoard of about seven zombies, all nuanced and gross in the goofiest way.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
Since she’s afraid to venture outside, she hoards these memories to live vicariously.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
It also started buying up hoards of mortgage-backed securities to drive down borrowing costs for American households.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 17, 2026
But not even Greenland’s valuable geographical position and hoards of critical minerals could compensate for damaging the trans-Atlantic alliance that remains fundamental to U.S. security.
From Barron's ● Jan. 8, 2026
Maybe he got what he deserved for a perceived protest against not being paid to represent his country, but either way he was not exactly made to feel welcome by the home hoards.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2025
“From Jamaica. Mother hoards it for special occasions, but it’s starting to lose its flavor now.”
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
It is plausible that some of the details he hoarded about his associates could have been used to pressure or influence them, though there is no evidence that this occurred in Gates's case.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
Ironically, some of the more shareholder-unfriendly banks have a lot of capital because they hoarded the capital; they didn’t allocate it.
From Barron's ● Apr. 16, 2026
Unified has enough money hoarded in reserves to reach a desired agreement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
He once hoarded approximately 64,000 of them—the equivalent of spending about $6,400 on burrito bowls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026
A geyser of sparks erupts deep within a house—an electrical transformer or hoarded fuel or maybe a delayed-action bomb—and it looks to him as if lightning lashes the town from within.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
It suggests Metals X is hoarding cash for future production growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
Gordon says the main reason she posts online is to raise awareness, particularly about hoarding disorder and mental health.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
"I do post some hoarding videos but I've never had anything go this viral," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Really, what drives fans nuts is L.A.’s oligarch-style hoarding: its presumptuous seizing of what everyone needs, even when they don’t need it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
The relentless march of time and the hoarding of resources.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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.
