horde

Everyday

1. A horde is a very large crowd of people or animals, often noisy or out of control. tree →
2. In history, a horde was a large group of nomadic warriors, such as the Mongol horde. tree →

In the lessons

In history lessons, hordes appear in stories of armies on horseback crossing Asia and Europe. In everyday life, «hordes of tourists», «hordes of shoppers» or «a horde of kids» means a big, busy crowd. In games and fantasy stories, «a horde of zombies or orcs» attacks. Phrases: «hordes of», «a horde of».

Examples

• Hordes of shoppers rushed in when the sale began. tree →
• A horde of children ran onto the playground. tree →
• The Mongol horde rode across the steppe. tree →
• In the game, a horde of zombies attacked the castle. tree →
• Hordes of tourists visit the beach every summer. tree →
• A horde of ants carried away the crumbs. tree →
• The cries and screams of the savage horde and of the birds sounded through the air, and I joined in it also; for I sang 'Ding-dong! ding-dong!' tree →

Note

Countable. Sounds the same as «hoard», which means a hidden store of treasure or food: «a dragon's hoard». Horde = crowd; hoard = stash.