throng
Americannoun
-
throngs
plural
-
a multitude of people crowded or assembled together; crowd.
- Synonyms:
- assemblage, host, horde
-
a great number of things crowded or considered together.
a throng of memories.
-
Chiefly Scot. pressure, as of work.
verb (used without object)
-
throngs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
thronged,
past participle, past
-
thronging
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
throngs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
thronged,
past participle, past
-
thronging
present participle
-
to crowd or press upon; jostle.
-
to fill or occupy with or as with a crowd.
He thronged the picture with stars.
-
to bring or drive together into or as into a crowd, heap, or collection.
-
to fill by crowding or pressing into.
They thronged the small room.
adjective
-
filled with people or objects; crowded.
-
(of time) filled with things to do; busy.
noun
verb
-
to gather in or fill (a place) in large numbers; crowd
-
(tr) to hem in (a person); jostle
adjective
Synonym Usage
See crowd 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
throngsimple
-
throngssimple
-
have throngedperfect
-
has throngedperfect
-
am throngingprogressive
-
are throngingprogressive
-
is throngingprogressive
-
have been throngingperfect progressive
-
has been throngingperfect progressive
Past
-
throngedsimple
-
had throngedperfect
-
was throngingprogressive
-
were throngingprogressive
-
had been throngingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of throng
before 1000; (noun) Middle English; Old English gethrang; cognate with Dutch drang, German Drang pressure, Old Norse thrǫng throng; (adj. and v.) Middle English; akin to the noun; compare obsolete thring to press
Explanation
A throng is a crowd of people or animals. On the crowded platform, the throng of passengers attempted to push their way into the already overcrowded subway car. When used as a noun, throng means a tightly packed crowd of people or animals. As a verb, it means to push together or squeeze into an area. The science fiction movie fans thronged into the auditorium when they heard their favorite actor had entered the building. The word comes to us from the Middle English term meaning "push" or "force one's way," which is exactly what you'd have to do if you got stuck inside a throng of people.
Vocabulary lists containing throng
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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:
They throng a hilltop temple to turn the enormous 69-foot-tall golden prayer wheel, once the world’s largest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
The defendant and his legal team declined to speak with a throng of reporters outside the courthouse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Former Manchester United and England captain Beckham, 51, told a throng of fans on the sun-kissed boulevard it was a "truly incredible moment."
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
At one point before the bombing, he arrives at the theater with a “hulking wheeled” army field kitchen to aid the cooks tasked with feeding the refugee throng.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
The throng haint’s voice sent spasms through her stomach.
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
But for the last seven years, the Flatiron has been shrouded in scaffolding, its Beaux-Arts exterior hidden from throngs of tourists who came to view it.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
The throngs of teenagers doing back flips into the Canal Saint-Martin and playing soccer in the street set the mood for the week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
The Brooklyn street performer/stuntman Leh-Boy rode through throngs of revelers with a trash can balanced on his head.
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia joined throngs of devotees waving Spanish and Vatican flags in Cibeles Square for a service filled with religious symbolism.
From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026
Eva’s head towered above the throngs of people.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
On summer evenings here, the streets are thronged with people spilling out onto the sidewalk to enjoy a pint and take a rare break from complaining about the weather.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
There was much that was familiar about Burnham's speech in front of the famous black No 10 door, which was thronged with staffers and supporters.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Crowds thronged the streets of Najaf on Wednesday as the coffin of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei moved through the holy city in a procession devoted to Iraq, home to Shia Islam's most sacred shrines.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
What's different here from some years ago, though, is that the Europeans and Russians who once thronged Palolem and other beach villages of Goa are missing.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
Across this circle, a quiet finger of water, hemmed in by concrete, marked the corner of a narrow area where people thronged, eating, talking, sitting and watching one another.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
In the capital Tehran, there was no sign of a return to conflict, with ordinary Iranians thronging cafes to watch the France-Spain World Cup semi-final in huge crowds, AFP journalists saw.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Further evidence of a paradigm shift: Enthusiastic theatergoers thronging to “Malinche the Musical,” the brainchild of Nacho Cano, a Spanish rock star turned impresario.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2026
Footage from outside the Hala offices shows crowds thronging the street.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2024
Fans are still boarding trains, or parking their cars, or thronging the pubs.
From New York Times ● Jan. 13, 2024
They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.
From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
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