noun

horde

HORD/hɔːrd/

A large crowd or swarm, often disorderly or threatening.

A horde of locusts swarms over the grass in disorderly masses.

A dense, disorderly horde of locusts swarms over a small patch of grass, with insects crawling over one another and flying in conflicting directions.

Etymology

Horde has West Turkic origins, with Turkish ordu, “camp, army,” given as a comparison. Its English meaning broadened from a nomadic tribe living in tents to a disorderly crowd or swarm.

In context

The Enchanted Archive38:46

Bones creek and rattle as the horde swarms them.

[Part 1] A savage BARBARIAN forced his way into her carriage and now ROYALTY is TERRIFIED

More examples

Hordes of mosquitoes gather around the porch light.
We push through a horde of fans outside the stadium.
The picnic attracts a horde of hungry ants.

Forms

horde · hordes

Similar words

crowd: A group of people, not necessarily disorderly or threatening.
mob: Emphasizes disorderly behavior or aggression in a crowd.
swarm: Especially suggests insects or many creatures moving together.