flock

flock — noun

1. any set of animals that are alike — like birds or sheep — and stay together in a

1.nounA2
Definition

any set of animals that are alike — like birds or sheep — and stay together in a group

Example

A flock of sheep was crossing the road, so the driver had to stop.

Sirin counted at least fifty birds in the flock flying overhead.

Common collocations
  • flock of sheep
  • flock of birds
  • flock of geese
  • lead a flock
  • a large flock
Synonyms
  • herd

    used for cattle, elephants, or wild horses, not for birds or sheep

  • drove

    refers to a group of animals being moved together, especially cattle

  • pack

    used for wolves or dogs, not for birds or sheep

Usage Note

Flock is used for birds and for herd animals like sheep and goats; for cattle, use herd instead.

Common Mistakes

A flock of cows grazed in the field.
A herd of cows grazed in the field.
flock is for sheep, goats, or birds; herd is for cattle.

2. a crowd of people who share a characteristic, such as following the same leader

2.nounB1
Definition

a crowd of people who share a characteristic, such as following the same leader or regularly attending the same church

Example

A flock of tourists gathered at the museum entrance, waiting for the doors to open.

The pastor welcomed the flock to Sunday service with a warm smile.

church congregation: the pastor + the flock

Common collocations
  • a flock of tourists
  • a flock of reporters
  • the pastor's flock
  • the church flock
  • flock of followers
Synonyms
  • crowd

    a large group of people without any special bond, more neutral in tone

  • congregation

    specifically a church group gathered for worship

  • gathering

    more general, can be smaller and less formal

Usage Note

When used for a church congregation, the flock is the group of members, and the pastor or priest is the shepherd. This metaphor comes directly from Noun sense 1.

Common Mistakes

A flock of people waited for the bus.
A crowd of people waited for the bus.
flock for people sounds literary or religious; use crowd for ordinary groups.

3. short fibers or soft shreds of material used as stuffing for cushions and chairs

3.nounC1
Definition

short fibers or soft shreds of material used as stuffing for cushions and chairs, or glued onto a surface to give it a velvety, textured decoration

Example

The cushion was stuffed with cotton flock to make it soft and comfortable.

Beatrix chose wallpaper with a dark green flock pattern for her study.

flock pattern on wallpaper

Common collocations
  • cotton flock
  • flock filling
  • flock wallpaper
  • flock pattern
  • stuff with flock
Synonyms
  • stuffing

    general term for filling material; flock is a specific type made of short fibers

  • fibers

    broader term; flock refers specifically to short cut fibers

  • wadding

    soft material for padding, usually in sheets rather than loose fibers

Usage Note

This sense has a different historical origin from the animal-group sense — it comes from Latin floccus (tuft of wool), not Old English flocc (group).

flock — verb

Word family

  • flocked
    adjectiveC1
  • flocking
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Flock, herd, pack, drove, and swarm all describe groups of animals, but each pairs with specific species. Flock covers birds and small livestock (sheep, goats). Herd is for larger grazing animals — cattle, elephants, horses — and is the only choice for cows. Pack applies to social carnivores like wolves, dogs, or hyenas; it also works figuratively for groups of motorbike riders. Drove is older and more specific to cattle being moved on foot. Swarm is for insects (bees, flies) and suggests chaotic, dense movement. For example: 'A flock of pigeons scattered in the square,' but 'A herd of buffalo crossed the river,' and 'A swarm of bees gathered near the hive.'

herdpack ↗drove ↗swarm ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • flock of sheep
  • flock of birds
  • flock of geese
  • flock of tourists
  • flock of followers

Phrases

  • flock together
  • flock to a place
  • the pastor's flock

Prepositions

  • flock of
  • flock to
  • flock in
  • flock into
  • flock around

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

The word flock has two distinct historical roots that happen to share the same modern English spelling. The animal-group meaning (noun senses 1–2 and verb sense 1) comes from Old English flocc, meaning a group of people or animals, related to Old Norse flokkr. The material sense (noun sense 3 and verb sense 2) comes from Latin floccus, meaning a tuft of wool, which entered English through Old French floc. These two roots are historically unrelated but merged in form over time.