hoarding

¹ American  

[hawr-ding] / ˈhɔr dɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or animal that hoards.

   Depression-era hoarding, when gold coins disappeared from circulation;

   the hoarding of nuts by chipmunks.

2. hoardings, things that are hoarded.

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hoarding ² American  

[hawr-ding, hohr-] / ˈhɔr dɪŋ, ˈhoʊr- /

noun

1. a temporary fence enclosing a construction site.

2. British. a billboard.

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hoarding British  

/ ˈhɔːdɪŋ /

noun

1. Also called (esp US and Canadian): billboard.  a large board used for displaying advertising posters, as by a road

2. a temporary wooden fence erected round a building or demolition site

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Etymology

Origin of hoarding¹

First recorded in 1585–95; hoard + -ing ¹

Origin of hoarding²

First recorded in 1815–25; obsolete hoard (from Old French hourd(e) “palisade made of hurdles,” from Germanic; compare German Hürde “hurdle”) + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Many migrant workers lack documentation needed for subsidised LPG and rely on informal markets, where hoarding has pushed up prices.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

There was no massive hoarding, no looting or crime spree, no exodus of residents.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

“There was a couple that was always there trying to clean up, looked like there was a lot of hoarding going on,” Llamas said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

As a sentimental person with a possible hoarding issue, for me, decluttering can feel devastating.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 23, 2026

Judith had been carefully hoarding a small store of linens since childhood, adding one cherished bit from time to time, and her loom and needle had worked busily.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare

Related Words

• accretion
• aggregation
• buildup
• growth
• inflation
• pile
• quantity