swarm

[ swawrm ]

/ swɔrm /

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See synonyms for: swarm / swarmed / swarming / swarmer on Thesaurus.com

noun

a body of honeybees that emigrate from a hive and fly off together, accompanied by a queen, to start a new colony.

a body of bees settled together, as in a hive.

a great number of things or persons, especially in motion.

Biology. a group or aggregation of free-floating or free-swimming cells or organisms.

Geology. a cluster of earthquakes or other geologic phenomena or features.

verb (used without object)

to fly off together in a swarm, as bees.

to move about, along, forth, etc., in great numbers, as things or persons.

to congregate, hover, or occur in groups or multitudes; be exceedingly numerous, as in a place or area.

(of a place) to be thronged or overrun; abound or teem: The beach swarms with children on summer weekends.

Biology. to move or swim about in a swarm.

verb (used with object)

to swarm about, over, or in; throng; overrun.

to produce a swarm of.

OTHER WORDS FOR swarm

3 horde, host, mass.

See synonyms for swarm on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of swarm

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English swearm; cognate with German Schwarm swarm, Old Norse svarmr “tumult”; the verb is derivative of the noun

synonym study for swarm

3. See crowd¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM swarm

swarmer, noun

Words nearby swarm

swaption, swaraj, sward, sware, swarf, swarm, swarm cell, swarm intelligence, swart, swarth, swarthiness

Other definitions for swarm (2 of 2)

swarm²

[ swawrm ]

/ swɔrm /

verb (used with or without object)

to climb by clasping with the legs and hands or arms and drawing oneself up; shin.

Origin of swarm

First recorded in 1540–50; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use swarm in a sentence

Three days later, swarms of men answered Lincoln’s request and rallied for war.
Troops lodged in the Capitol in 1861. It was a wreck when they left.|Meryl Kornfield, Felicia Sonmez|January 14, 2021|Washington Post
They swarmed into the Capitol chanting “Hang Mike Pence” when he refused.
Pelosi once again plays politics with impeachment|Marc Thiessen|January 12, 2021|Washington Post
The defense swarmed, and Butler struggled to get open looks and seemed to be affected by Georgetown’s length.
Georgetown lets another double-digit lead slip away in a loss to Butler|Kareem Copeland|January 7, 2021|Washington Post
In late 2017, Sestito set out to study how this metal-poor swarm moves by writing code to analyze the upcoming Gaia results.
The New History of the Milky Way|Charlie Wood|December 15, 2020|Quanta Magazine

After using this ability to defeat Rhino, the area is swarmed by the armed security units of Roxxon, an energy corporation looking to provide “clean energy” to Harlem.
‘Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales’: Like its movie counterparts, a confident and entertaining spectacle|Christopher Byrd|November 6, 2020|Washington Post
He was prepared to swarm the island—not directly, but through Brooklyn.
The British Royals Reinvade Brooklyn: William and Kate Come Watch Basketball on Historic Battle Site|Justin Jones|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cars swarm dangerously around them on this two-lane road carved, literally, into the side of a chain of mountains.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley|Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Stalwarts hoped to swarm the convention and force a challenge to the delegate roll.
The GOP’s Last Identity Crisis Remade U.S. Politics|Michael Wolraich|July 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In an ancient stone carving, warriors brandishing shields and swords swarm over the columned facade of a grand temple.
Iraq’s Long-Lost Mythical Temple Has Been Found…and Is In Danger of Disappearing Again|Nina Strochlic|July 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When he struck, Brown wrote, “The bees will begin to swarm.”
When Robert E. Lee Met John Brown and Saved the Union|Michael Korda|May 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There 171 are a great many streams at Port Royal, and among them three or four where the fish swarm in the spawning season.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
His own home at Flekkefjord was not a happy one; his father drank, and there was a swarm of small children.
Skipper Worse|Alexander Lange Kielland
The sepoys usually swarm out hell-for-leather and we rush to meet them.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
For he made numbers of men swarm out of Persia, that have fought against us, and the holy city.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
But now the newcomers began to swarm into our yard, asking H. if he had coin to sell for greenbacks.
Famous Adventures And Prison Escapes of the Civil War|Various

British Dictionary definitions for swarm (1 of 2)

swarm¹

/ (swɔːm) /

noun

a group of social insects, esp bees led by a queen, that has left the parent hive in order to start a new colony

a large mass of small animals, esp insects

a throng or mass, esp when moving or in turmoil

verb

(intr) (of small animals, esp bees) to move in or form a swarm

(intr) to congregate, move about or proceed in large numbers

(when intr, often foll by with) to overrun or be overrun (with)the house swarmed with rats

(tr) to cause to swarm

Word Origin for swarm

Old English swearm; related to Old Norse svarmr uproar, Old High German swaram swarm

British Dictionary definitions for swarm (2 of 2)

swarm²

/ (swɔːm) /

verb

(when intr, usually foll by up) to climb (a ladder, etc) by gripping with the hands and feetthe boys swarmed up the rigging

Word Origin for swarm

C16: of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

swarm

OTHER WORDS FOR swarm

Origin of swarm

synonym study for swarm

OTHER WORDS FROM swarm

Words nearby swarm

Other definitions for swarm (2 of 2)

Origin of swarm

Words related to swarm

How to use swarm in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for swarm (1 of 2)

Word Origin for swarm

British Dictionary definitions for swarm (2 of 2)

Word Origin for swarm