SWARMS Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

swarms 1 of 3

noun

plural of swarm

as in throngs

a great number of persons or creatures massed together a swarm of tourists descends upon the island every summer

Synonyms & Similar Words

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swarms

2 of 3

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of swarm

as in flocks

to move upon or fill (something) in great numbers meeting little resistance, the pirates swarmed the decks of the merchant ship

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in bursts

to be copiously supplied at this time of year that Mexican resort swarms with college students on spring break

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

swarms

3 of 3

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of swarm

as in climbs

to move (as up or over something) often with the help of the hands in holding or pulling one of the physical challenges had competitors swarming over a pile of logs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of swarms

Noun

The astronauts were also on the lookout for swarms of lunar dust. — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026 Already that has included key battlefield support for Iran – and lessons of drone and missile swarms learned from Russia’s experience in Ukraine – in exchange for Russia’s use of Iran’s game-changing Shahed drones. — Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Oct. 2026 My interview with Altman had been arranged weeks earlier, just as the first revelations emerged about swarms of rogue AI agents conspiring to hack websites. — Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026 Drone swarms were used to provide targeting information to ground units, while tactical UAVs, armed helicopters and unmanned ground vehicles coordinated attacks against simulated targets. — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026 The Cleveland Guardians will host the Chicago White Sox for Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday afternoon, and along with a sellout crowd, swarms of midges will be in attendance. — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026 But of course where there’s one rat, there are usually more, and swarms of rats and an angry sea soon become the man’s antagonists. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026 The allied soldiers performed well in a scenario that mimicked previous conflicts with limited air threats, but their systems were not designed for the large drone swarms of modern combat. — Dan Driscoll, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2026 In OpenAI's case, swarms of agents worked together to hack the open-source software platform Hugging Face and OpenAI itself, without alerting humans. — Katie McQue, NPR, 26 Sep. 2026

Verb

Still, Hafley’s defense swarms the Raiders and is too much to overcome. — Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026 Before the gaggle of girls swarms her apartment, there’s a sweet moment when Steve drops his daughter off early, and the two divorcees engage in some flirty banter over pizza prep. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 17 June 2026 On the opposite corner, a herd of schoolchildren swarms a local television reporter. — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 8 June 2026 Washington swarms with health specialists. — Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026 The unapologetically lurid tale of two families locked in an ever-complex cat’s cradle of class resentments and adulterous power plays also swarms with queen bees and jaw-droppingly muscular men that feel straight out of the Real Housewives playbook. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026 Launching swarms mid-air The aircraft was publicly displayed for the first time at Airshow China in Zhuhai in 2024, where Chinese broadcasters highlighted its potential military functions. — Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 11 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for swarms

Noun

Leo's visit to Paris came as a birthday present for Jean-Claude Farnabe, who turned 63 on Saturday and spent the morning securing a spot amid the throngs of people.

— CBS News, CBS News, 26 Sep. 2026
The cows made their way to the altar — with the handlers helping to guide them with hay — through throngs of people and a few mascots sitting in seats and lined up on the streets, who stopped by just to see the unique occasion.

— Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of throngs

Verb

In these moments, the actor bursts through his roles as the Spider does through Reilly, unleashing the Grand Guignol excess that is Nicolas Cage.

— Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Things quickly take a terrifying turn during surgery when a scorpion tail suddenly bursts through Perry’s back, attacking one of the surgeons mid-operation.

— Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026

Definition of bursts

Verb

The result is a modest but welcome increase in output, which climbs from 370 hp to 388 hp, while torque remains unchanged at 331 ft lbs.

— Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026
Risk climbs with the amount consumed, and women who drink are advised to limit intake to no more than one drink per day.

— Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of climbs

Noun

More mature than the party hordes that roam this part of town, the vibe here is the casual elegance that blends drinking rum out of a pineapple while retaining your sophistication while doing it.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026
Their backing attracted hordes of counterrevolutionaries and Mubarak loyalists.

— Abdelrahman ElGendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of hordes

Verb

Best Time To Visit As a lake town, Coeur d’Alene buzzes with activity in the summer months, but fall is arguably its best season.

— Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 6 Oct. 2026
Elimar, the ground floor restaurant, buzzes at breakfast with a spectacular spread including giant wheels of parmesan and sides of prosciutto, fruit, egg and pancake stations, and a gluten-free section.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of buzzes

Verb

The naturally recurring warming of tropical Pacific waters scrambles rainfall patterns worldwide and often brings wetter springs to the Southern Hemisphere.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
Where previous generations once encountered retro TV classics through reruns and physical media releases, streaming makes practically everything available all at once and scrambles the release chronology completely.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of scrambles

Noun

Jessica Martinez was welcomed home by cheering crowds as the USS Abraham Lincoln docked in San Diego earlier this month after a long wartime deployment to the Middle East.

— Norma Galeana, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
As China undergoes a prolonged market reset, luxury players are closing unproductive stores, exploring untapped regional markets and unlocking differentiated crowds with pop-up formats.

— Denni Hu, Footwear News, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of crowds

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swarming

swarms

swart

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“Swarms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swarms. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of swarms

noun

verb (1)

verb (2)

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