noun
horde
hawd
noun
1
A large, often unruly crowd of people.
"A horde of shoppers rushed in when the doors opened."
2
A wandering tribe or group, especially of nomadic people.
"Historians describe the Mongol hordes sweeping across Asia."
verb
1
To move together in a large crowd.
"Fans horded toward the stage as the band appeared."
How to Use Horde
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA large, often disorderly crowd, or historically a nomadic tribe.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "hoard", which means a stockpile of stored goods — hordes are people, hoards are things.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
a horde of tourists
invading hordes
Word Forms
horded past tense, hordes plural, hordes singular
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Etymology
Entered English in the 1500s via French and German from Russian orda ("horde, clan, troop"), tracing back to a Turkic word for a ruler's camp or army. Related to the word "Urdu".