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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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
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Recent Examples of swarms
Nic Robertson, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
Nothing can ruin a vacation like swarms of mosquitos.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2026
The book was completed months before Anthropic’s redlines generated new interest in autonomous-drone swarms and killer robots, but even then the writing was on the wall.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2026
The power of drone swarms on battlefields has been witnessed in multiple wars to date.
—Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026
Spring marks peak termite emergence because warmer temperatures bring out swarms of reproductive termites.
—Ana Durrani, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
The American military, despite its unrivaled power, has trouble swatting down swarms of cheap drones.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Removing bees from your home may require some carpentry work to safely remove them and prevent future swarms from taking up residence.
—Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 7 Apr. 2026
In March, the company said its Bahraini data center had been damaged after Iran sent swarms of drones in the region.
—Kevin Collier, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026
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
In the 13-second video, Cynthia Erivo pulls him off the pop star before security swarms him.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
Noun
There’s no doubt the US military would crush Iran’s swarms of tiny speed boats over time, but time is a luxury Trump doesn’t have.
—Nic Robertson, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
Nothing can ruin a vacation like swarms of mosquitos.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2026
The book was completed months before Anthropic’s redlines generated new interest in autonomous-drone swarms and killer robots, but even then the writing was on the wall.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2026
The power of drone swarms on battlefields has been witnessed in multiple wars to date.
—Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026
Spring marks peak termite emergence because warmer temperatures bring out swarms of reproductive termites.
—Ana Durrani, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
The American military, despite its unrivaled power, has trouble swatting down swarms of cheap drones.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Removing bees from your home may require some carpentry work to safely remove them and prevent future swarms from taking up residence.
—Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 7 Apr. 2026
In March, the company said its Bahraini data center had been damaged after Iran sent swarms of drones in the region.
—Kevin Collier, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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
In the 13-second video, Cynthia Erivo pulls him off the pop star before security swarms him.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swarms
Noun
-
The plane lands, surrounded by throngs of people, and out steps Hitler, followed by his posse, including Joseph Goebbels.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
-
There certainly seem to be apparitions in this music, some presence apart from the four musicians and the throngs of fans, which is intensified by the visceral collision of so many sounds.—
Stephen M. Deusner,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
When the mountain park opens for the season, their businesses attract hordes of mountain bikers.—
John Meyer,
Denver Post,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Oldham knew the Beatles played primarily to hordes of screaming girls.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Simple precautions such as hand washing and avoiding kissing birds can reduce the risk of infection from backyard flocks.—
Jonel Aleccia,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Looking for more ways to entice flocks of birds to your yard?—
Brittany VanDerBill,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Ramaswamy has been running what looks like a general election campaign, drawing impressive crowds during visits to each of Ohio’s 88 counties.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Sets from upstarts like Creepy Nuts, Pawsa, Geese and Slayyyter, along with emphatic crowds at rock heavyweights like Jack White, Turnstile and even Sombr, traded seamlessness and precision for immediacy and friction — louder, looser, more physical in ways that were best felt than watched.—
Andrea Domanick,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swarms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swarms. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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