horde

horde — noun

1. a large number of people who are together in one place, often moving or behaving

1.nounB1
Definition

a large number of people who are together in one place, often moving or behaving in an unorganized way

Example

A horde of fans gathered outside the concert hall hours before the doors opened.

collocation: horde of fans

Kwame pushed his way through the horde of people blocking the station entrance.

Common collocations
  • horde of fans
  • horde of shoppers
  • horde of reporters
  • horde of tourists
  • horde of people
Synonyms
  • crowd

    more neutral and general; does not suggest disorder

  • throng

    more literary, suggests people pressing tightly together

  • mob

    more negative, suggests a potentially violent or unruly crowd

  • multitude

    formal; emphasises sheer number rather than behaviour

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

horde + of + plural noun

Common Mistakes

He kept a horde of gold coins under his bed.
He kept a hoard of gold coins under his bed.
'horde' refers to a group of people; 'hoard' refers to a stored collection of valuable items.

2. a large group of soldiers or warriors who move together in order to attack a pla

2.nounB2
Definition

a large group of soldiers or warriors who move together in order to attack a place or fight against others

Example

The invading horde swept through the valley, burning every village in its path.

adjective pattern: invading horde

Historical records describe a horde of mounted warriors crossing the frozen river at dawn.

Common collocations
  • invading horde
  • attacking horde
  • horde of warriors
  • horde of soldiers
  • mounted horde
Synonyms
  • army

    more organised and formal; does not imply destructiveness

  • legion

    historically specific to ancient Rome; suggests discipline

  • swarm

    stresses rapid, overwhelming movement in large numbers

Grammar Patterns

adjective + horde

horde + of + plural noun (warriors, soldiers)

Usage Note

Often carries a negative or threatening tone, suggesting a destructive or violent group whose purpose is conquest or plunder.

3. used in the expression 'hordes of' to describe an extremely large number of peop

3.nounB1
Definition

used in the expression 'hordes of' to describe an extremely large number of people or things, often with a feeling of being overwhelmed or annoyed

Example

Hordes of tourists flood the old town every summer, making it nearly impossible to walk.

plural-only: hordes of + plural count noun

During the New Year sales, hordes of customers line up outside the mall before sunrise.

Common collocations
  • hordes of tourists
  • hordes of shoppers
  • hordes of people
  • hordes of mosquitoes
  • hordes of emails
  • hordes of fans
Synonyms
  • masses of

    similar meaning but slightly more neutral in tone

  • crowds of

    more specific to people, less common for things

  • swarms of

    stronger negative feeling, often used for insects or people behaving chaotically

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

hordes of + plural count noun

hordes of + uncountable noun

Usage Note

This sense is always used in the plural form 'hordes of'. It often carries an overtone of overwhelm or mild annoyance, especially in everyday speech ('hordes of emails', 'hordes of tourists').

4. a community of people who travel from place to place without a fixed home, espec

4.nounC1
Definition

a community of people who travel from place to place without a fixed home, especially the nomadic groups from the steppes of Central Asia such as the Mongols

Example

The Mongol horde moved across the Central Asian steppe with their horses, cattle, and tents.

the + proper noun + horde (the Mongol horde)

Nikhil's research focused on daily life in a Central Asian horde of the thirteenth century.

Common collocations
  • Mongol horde
  • Golden Horde
  • nomadic horde
  • Central Asian horde
Synonyms
  • tribe

    broader in meaning; does not imply nomadic lifestyle

  • clan

    smaller, based on family ties rather than military or political organisation

  • confederation

    more formal and neutral; a political alliance of tribes

Grammar Patterns

the + [name] + horde

adjective + horde (nomadic, Mongol)

Usage Note

Historically associated with Central Asian groups such as the Mongols and Tatars. The word 'horde' in this sense can be considered dated or stereotypical in modern contexts; 'nomadic tribe' or 'confederation' are often preferred alternatives in academic writing.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a large number of people gathered together, but they differ in tone and degree of organisation. 'Crowd' is the most neutral and widely used — it simply describes many people in one place without suggesting how they behave. 'Throng' is more literary and often implies people pressing tightly together, as in a narrow street or doorway. 'Mob' carries a strongly negative charge: it suggests a crowd that is angry, uncontrolled, or dangerous. 'Multitude' is formal and somewhat biblical; it focuses on the impressively large size of the group rather than its behaviour. For a neutral, everyday description of many people together, use 'crowd'. In a historical or dramatic context where disorder is implied, 'horde' overlaps most closely with 'throng' or 'mob' depending on whether the emphasis is on density or threat.

crowd ↗throngmob ↗multitude ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • people
  • warriors
  • tourists
  • shoppers
  • fans
  • reporters
  • mosquitoes
  • soldiers
  • emails
  • visitors

Phrases

  • a horde of
  • hordes of
  • the + name + horde

Prepositions

Etymology

TurkishPolishFrenchEnglish

The word 'horde' entered English in the 1500s from French 'horde', which came from Polish 'horda', ultimately tracing back to Turkish 'ordu' meaning 'camp' or 'army'. The original sense referred to the nomadic clans of the Tatars and Mongols who lived in tent camps on the Central Asian steppes. Over time the meaning broadened from 'a nomadic tribe' to any large, often threatening group of people, before weakening further into the modern sense of simply 'a very large crowd'.