Definition of throngnext

throng

2 of 2

verb

as in to flock
to move upon or fill (something) in great numbers fans thronged the field to celebrate the win

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun throng differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of throng are crowd, crush, horde, and mob. While all these words mean "an assembled multitude," throng and horde suggest movement and pushing.

a throng of reporters
a horde of shoppers

When might crowd be a better fit than throng?

While in some cases nearly identical to throng, crowd implies a close gathering and pressing together.

a crowd gathered

When can crush be used instead of throng?

The synonyms crush and throng are sometimes interchangeable, but crush emphasizes the compactness of the group, the difficulty of individual movement, and the attendant discomfort.

a crush of fans

Where would mob be a reasonable alternative to throng?

The words mob and throng are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, mob implies a disorderly crowd with the potential for violence.

an angry mob

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 throng
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, 26 Sep. 2026 Over the past few days, the people at the front of the lines have gradually moved closer and closer to the courtroom, to the point where the doors can barely open without bumping into a throng of people. — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
Verb
By the time Fly entered the booth, they were wound up and thronging the dancefloor. — Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 25 Aug. 2026 Tens of thousands thronged Tiananmen Square and surrounding streets in Beijing in 1976, after the death of Zhou Enlai, the People’s Republic’s first and widely respected premier. — Reuters, NBC news, 18 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for throng
Recent Examples of Synonyms for throng
Noun
  • Carnegie Hall seats well over 3,000 people, but this intense, no-frills performance film gives life to the old saying about feeling alone in a crowd.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • That left a thinner-than-expected crowd, mostly made up of local executives, to hear the kingdom seek deeper international cooperation to secure energy supplies and trade routes.
    — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The Kabuki Theater in San Francisco was the documentary’s top gross, which stands to reason as tech heads flocked to the film.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2026
  • From shredding the slopes in the winter to floating on the water in the summer, the unofficial capital of the Sierra Nevada sees outdoorsy travelers constantly flocking to its campsites and cabins.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Together, the systems covered reconnaissance, swarm defense and control, and precision response capabilities.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • My recent Hartford Courant oped, described how OpenAI agents broke out of their test sandbox and as a coordinated group (swarm) penetrated Hugging Face, a research platform used by AI developers.
    — John Caruso, Hartford Courant, 14 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • For the past couple of months, the Editorial Board and a veritable horde of guest columnists have been fixated on the mayor and his stance on Israel.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The night before, amid the horde at the opening of Thaddaeus Ropac’s Georg Baselitz show, actor Damian Lewis was sizing up the big canvases.
    — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Throng.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/throng. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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