crowd

crowd — noun

1. many people who are all in one place at the same time, for example in a street,

1.nounA2
Definition

many people who are all in one place at the same time, for example in a street, at a market, or outside a building

Example

A large crowd gathered outside the train station to welcome the Olympic team home.

collocation: large crowd / crowd gathers

The singer waved at the crowd before walking off the stage.

Common collocations
  • large crowd
  • crowd of people
  • crowd gathers
  • crowd cheers
  • in the crowd
  • through the crowd
Synonyms
  • throng

    more literary; suggests a denser, more tightly packed group

  • mob

    negative; suggests a noisy, uncontrolled, or threatening crowd

Grammar Patterns

a crowd of + noun

the crowd + singular/plural verb

Common Mistakes

There is a crowd people outside.
There is a crowd of people outside.
When saying what the crowd consists of, use 'crowd of' before the noun.

2. the people someone knows and spends time with, often because they share the same

2.nounB1
Definition

the people someone knows and spends time with, often because they share the same interests, activities, or background

Example

Nikhil hangs out with a different crowd now that he joined the chess club.

collocation: hang out with a crowd

Sivan's crowd of friends all love hiking and camping on weekends.

collocation: crowd of friends

Common collocations
  • someone's crowd
  • hang out with a crowd
  • the art/surfing/theatre crowd
  • find your crowd
Synonyms
  • circle

    neutral; 'circle of friends' is slightly more formal

  • set

    similar, but 'set' can imply social class or status

Grammar Patterns

someone's crowd

the + noun + crowd

Usage Note

This sense is informal and usually refers to a group the speaker is part of or familiar with. It is often modified by a noun describing the shared interest: 'the theatre crowd,' 'the surfing crowd.'

3. many internet users who are asked to help do something, provide money for a proj

3.nounB2
Definition

many internet users who are asked to help do something, provide money for a project, or give their opinion on a topic

Example

The company asked the online crowd to help design its new logo through a contest.

pattern: ask the online crowd to do something

A crowd of volunteers helped translate the website into more than thirty languages.

Common collocations
  • online crowd
  • crowdfunding
  • crowdsourcing
  • turn to the crowd
  • wisdom of the crowd

Grammar Patterns

the + noun + crowd

a crowd of + noun

Usage Note

Frequently appears in compounds such as 'crowdfunding' and 'crowdsourcing,' or in the set phrase 'the wisdom of the crowd.' The focus is on collective participation via digital platforms.

4. all the ordinary people in a society, seen as a single undifferentiated group th

4.nounB2
Definition

all the ordinary people in a society, seen as a single undifferentiated group that is not especially rich, educated, or powerful

Example

Anong believes that fashion is set by designers, not by the crowd.

The band refused to write songs that just please the crowd.

Common collocations
  • the crowd
  • follow the crowd
  • stand out from the crowd
  • please the crowd
Synonyms
  • the masses

    more formal; often used in political or sociological contexts

  • the public

    neutral; refers to all people in general, not specifically contrasted with elites

Antonyms
  • the elite

    the small, powerful, or wealthy group contrasted with ordinary people

Grammar Patterns

the crowd

Usage Note

Used almost exclusively with the definite article ('the crowd'). Often appears in fixed expressions like 'follow the crowd' (do what everyone else does) or 'stand out from the crowd' (be noticeably different).

Common Mistakes

She does not care what crowds think.
She does not care what the crowd thinks.
This sense almost always takes 'the' and a singular verb.

crowd — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Crowd, throng, mob, and audience all describe groups of people, but each carries a different tone. Crowd is the most general and neutral — it simply means a large number of people in one place, whether at a concert, a market, or a protest. Throng is more literary and suggests a dense, tightly packed group where people press against one another; it is far less common in everyday speech. Mob has a negative connotation and refers to a crowd that is noisy, uncontrolled, or potentially violent — such as an angry mob outside a courthouse. Audience differs in that it describes people who have gathered specifically to watch or listen to a performance, speech, or show; they are usually seated and attentive. For example, 'A large crowd gathered at the town square' is neutral, but if that same group grew hostile, it would become a mob. A writer might call the same gathering a throng for dramatic effect, while the people inside a theater watching a play are always an audience.

crowd ↗throngmob ↗audience ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • crowd of fans
  • crowd of tourists
  • crowd of people

Adverbs

  • quickly crowd
  • gradually crowd
  • tightly crowd

Phrases

  • follow the crowd
  • stand out from the crowd
  • move with the crowd

Prepositions

  • crowd around
  • crowd into
  • crowd onto
  • crowded with

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEarly Modern EnglishEnglish

The word 'crowd' comes from the Old English verb 'crūdan,' which meant 'to press, push, or drive forward.' By the early 1500s, it was used as a noun to describe a throng of people pressing close together. The social meaning — 'a circle of acquaintances' — developed in the 1800s. The verb senses all stay close to the original idea of pressing: pressing close to someone (invading space), pressing many things into a container (packing tightly), and pressing toward a goal (approaching a limit).