INDEX:
a group of people
1. a group of people together in one place
2. a group of people who do things together
3. a group of people who are similar or have similar ideas
4. a group of people who work together
5. a group of people who are the same age, have the same income etc
6. a small group of people who are unwilling to let other people join them
7. a small group within a larger political or religious organization
8. a group of people who have been chosen to give information, answer questions etc
9. when people come together to form a group
a group of things
10. a number of things thought of as a group
11. a group of things that are tied together or fastened together
12. a group of things on top of each other
to put things or people into groups
13. to put things or people into groups
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ CROWD
↑ WITH/TOGETHER
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1. a group of people together in one place
▷ group /gruːp/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
several people who are together in the same place :
▪ A small group had gathered outside the stage door.
group of
▪ Outside the school, little groups of friends were talking to each other.
▪ an old photograph of a group of soldiers sitting on the ground
in groups
forming separate groups
▪ Men stood in groups on street corners.
get into groups
make groups with other people so that you can do something together
▪ The teacher told us to get into groups of three.
▷ crowd /kraʊd/ [countable noun]
a large number of people who are all together in the same place :
▪ A huge crowd gathered to hear Mandela speak.
▪ a football crowd
crowd of
▪ A crowd of reporters were waiting for her at the airport.
crowds of people/tourists/shoppers etc
a lot of people in the same place
▪ I walked down Regent Street with its crowds of tourists and Christmas shoppers.
▷ cluster /ˈklʌstəʳ/ [countable noun]
a group of people standing or sitting very close to each other, for example in order to see something or talk to someone :
cluster of
▪ A cluster of people, all anxious to shake his hand, formed around the speaker.
▪ Some relatives were standing in a cluster around her hospital bed.
▷ knot /nɒtǁnɑːt/ [countable noun]
a small group of people all sitting or standing very close to each other :
knot of
▪ The knot of men at the bar had started talking about the elections.
▪ Outside the hotel, a little knot of bystanders had gathered to see what was happening.
2. a group of people who do things together
▷ group /gruːp/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
▪ The tickets are expensive, but there is a discount for school groups.
group of
▪ A group of us went out for a drink to celebrate Sonia’s birthday.
in groups
▪ Robberies were common on the lonely roads, so people usually travelled in groups.
in groups of three/four etc
▪ We were warned not to walk in the mountains except in groups of three or more.
▷ party /ˈpɑːʳti/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
a group of people that someone has organized in order to go somewhere or do something :
▪ A party of Japanese businessmen will be visiting the factory next week.
party of
▪ John was taking a party of tourists around the museum.
a search/rescue party
a group of people trying to find and help someone who is in danger
▪ The climbers did not return, and a search party was sent out to look for them.
▷ bunch/crowd /bʌntʃ, kraʊd/ [countable noun usually singular] especially spoken, informal
a group of people who do things together or spend time together :
▪ The people on my French course are a really friendly bunch.
bunch/crowd of
▪ There was the usual crowd of students standing at the bar.
▪ Willy’s band is playing tonight, and I invited a bunch of people to come along
▷ gang /gæŋ/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
a group of young people who spend time together, especially a group that causes trouble, fights with other groups etc :
▪ Inner-city kids often join gangs for protection, and for the chance to make money by selling drugs.
gang of youths/kids
▪ There are always gangs of kids hanging around the shopping mall.
gang member/leader
▪ It is not just gang members who get into trouble - it’s middle-class and upper-class kids as well.
rival gang
a gang that fights with another gang
▪ Fighting broke out between two rival gangs.
▷ contingent /kənˈtɪndʒənt/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
a group of people representing a particular country, organization, belief etc :
▪ Not surprisingly, there was a large student contingent at the demonstration.
▪ There was a large American contingent, including the Olympic bronze medallist, Thomas Jefferson.
contingent of
▪ A small contingent of English fans had made the trip to Sydney to support their team.
3. a group of people who are similar or have similar ideas
▷ group /gruːp/ [countable noun]
a number of people who are similar in some way, or who have the same ideas and aims :
▪ Their policy was to keep demonstrators from different political groups apart.
group of
▪ The factory was burned down by a group of animal-rights activists.
▷ lot /lɒtǁlɑːt/ [singular noun] British informal
a group of people - use this especially about people that you do not like or do not approve of :
▪ I don’t like her new friends - they’re a snobbish lot.
lot of
▪ We’ve got another lot of visitors coming this weekend.
that lot
use this to show disapproval spoken
▪ Don’t take any notice of that lot, they’re just ignorant.
▷ collection/assortment /kəˈlekʃ ə n, əˈsɔːʳtmənt/ [countable noun usually singular]
a group of people, especially people who you think are strange or unusual :
collection/assortment of
▪ There was an interesting collection of people at the wedding.
▪ Jack brought an odd collection of characters home from the racetrack.
▪ We shared the train compartment with an odd assortment of fellow travellers.
▷ element /ˈelɪmənt, ˈeləmənt/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
the criminal/student/fascist etc element
a group of people who have the same ideas, aims, beliefs etc that are different from those of a larger group - use this especially about people you do not like or agree with :
▪ The chief had been warned that there were criminal elements within the Security Police.
▪ They seem to be trying to get rid of all left-wing elements in the party.
▪ The committee agreed on the need to get rid of the hooligan element amongst football supporters.
▷ movement /ˈmuːvmənt/ [countable noun]
a large group of people who share the same ideas and beliefs, and who work together to achieve something important :
▪ She was active in a number of political movements, including the campaign to end slavery.
the peace/environmental/women’s etc movement
▪ One of the leaders of the pro-democracy movement has been arrested.
▪ The aim of the civil rights movement was to eliminate racial discrimination in all its forms.
▷ school /skuːl/ [countable noun]
a group of artists, writers etc who share the same ideas, style of work etc :
▪ There is no denying the influence of the Impressionist school in his painting.
▪ He seems to be very much part of the Marxist school in his approach to politics.
school of thought
a group of people who believe in the same theory, idea etc
▪ One school of thought argues that introducing stiffer penalties would bring the crime rate down.
▷ circle /ˈsɜːʳk ə l/ [countable noun usually plural]
literary/political/academic etc circles
people who work in or are interested in literature, politics etc :
▪ By 1920 she had written two novels, and had succeeded in winning recognition in literary circles.
▪ It was the 1960s, and the military had become unpopular among academic and intellectual circles.
▷ batch /bætʃ/ [countable noun]
a group of people who are all dealt with together at the same time, for example because they are all starting something together :
batch of
▪ The latest batch of new recruits had just arrived at the camp.
4. a group of people who work together
▷ team /tiːm/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
a group of people who work together to do a job :
▪ There will be a meeting for all members of the team next Wednesday.
▪ Dr Gaultier and his medical team worked in the refugee camps for over a year.
team of
▪ The coins were discovered by a team of archaeologists.
▪ The Prime Minister works closely with a team of unelected advisers.
▷ crew /kruː/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
the people who work together on a ship or plane :
▪ The captain and crew would like to welcome you on board Flight 381 to Geneva.
▪ Everyone aboard the Montreal Queen, including the crew, died.
▷ committee /kəˈmɪti/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
a small group of people in an organization who have been chosen to make official decisions :
▪ Bill Dean has been elected chairman of the committee.
finance/health/housing etc committee
▪ The finance committee has decided to raise membership fees for next season.
be on a committee
be a member of a committee
▪ She’s been on the Church committee for 20 years.
▷ board /bɔːʳd/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
a group of people in an organization or company who make rules and decisions about how the organization works, give permission for particular plans to be carried out etc :
▪ The licensing board has refused us permission to sell alcohol on the premises.
▪ In October, the school board recommended that uniforms become compulsory.
board of examiners/governors/directors etc
▪ If you don’t agree with the result etc ,you can appeal to the board of examiners.
▷ panel /ˈpænl/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
a group of people who have been chosen to give advice or their opinion or to make an official decision about something, usually because they know a lot about it :
▪ I’ve been invited to join the panel on a radio arts programme.
panel of
▪ All applicants are questioned by a panel of experienced interviewers.
▪ He was on a panel of judges for a famous literary prize.
▷ working group /working party British /ˈwɜːʳkɪŋ ˌgruːp, ˈwɜːʳkɪŋ ˌpɑːʳti/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
a group of people chosen to consider a particular problem in detail and to suggest how to deal with it :
▪ A Police Force working party concluded that many people found the police intimidating.
▪ A working party was set up to investigate and act on the report’s findings.
▷ unit /ˈjuːnɪt, ˈjuːnət/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
an official group that has been formed to work together to do a particular job or be responsible for a particular problem :
▪ Hospital officials plan to use the donations to set up a new cardiac unit.
▪ One of the policemen from the drug unit will be visiting local schools.
5. a group of people who are the same age, have the same income etc
▷ group /gruːp/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
age/income/blood etc group
a group of people with the same age, income, blood type etc :
▪ The good thing about the class is that all the students belong to the same age group.
▪ Families in the lowest income group could not afford to educate their children.
▪ The hospital is desperate for donors from the rhesus negative blood group.
▷ bracket /ˈbrækɪt, ˈbrækət/ [countable noun]
tax/income/age etc bracket
people who are considered as a group, especially for official or financial purposes, because they have the same income, are of similar age etc :
▪ Several companies have produced pension plans specifically for people in the higher income tax bracket.
▷ band /bænd/ [countable noun]
income/tax/age etc band
a group of people whose income, tax, or age comes within a particular range :
▪ These changes will not affect people in the lowest tax band.
▪ As you move into the higher income bands, the charges start to increase.
6. a small group of people who are unwilling to let other people join them
▷ clique /kliːk/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
a small group of people who like the same things and are very friendly with each other but who do not want other people to join them :
▪ Most of the kids were friendly, apart from a clique of girls who came from rich families.
▪ a clique of literary friends who thought they were so superior
cliquey [adjective] spoken :
▪ The tennis club has good facilities, but it’s terribly cliquey.
▷ elite /eɪˈliːt, ɪ-/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
a group of people who are the richest, most powerful, best educated etc in society, and who do not want others to share their advantages :
▪ Only a small elite can afford to send their children to this school.
▪ All the glamorous Washington elite were at the dinner that evening.
elite [adjective]
▪ Anyone who studied at the college joined an elite band of well-connected lawyers, doctors and businessmen.
▷ in-crowd /ˈɪn kraʊd/ []
a small group of people who are admired by others because they are very fashionable, or who know things that other people do not, and who it is difficult to become friendly with :
▪ That’s the nightclub where all the in-crowd go.
▪ He wanted to be accepted, to be part of the in-crowd.
▪ Within the political in-crowd are some extremely influential figures.
7. a small group within a larger political or religious organization
▷ faction /ˈfækʃ ə n/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
a group of people within a larger political or religious organization who have different aims from many of the other people within it :
▪ The pro-war faction within the party condemned any attempt at negotiation.
▪ The whole of the country has been taken over and destroyed by warring factions.
▷ fringe /frɪndʒ/ []
a group of people in a political or religious organization who have ideas that most people in the organization do not agree with or think are extreme :
▪ The terrorist fringe condemned the decision and threatened to use force.
▪ Crusading journalist William Lloyd Garrison represented the radical fringe.
lunatic fringe
people with very extreme, stupid ideas
▪ a lunatic fringe of cranks and reactionaries, who probably still believe that the earth is flat
▷ splinter group /ˈsplɪntəʳ ˌgruːp/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
a small group of people who leave a larger political or religious group to form their own smaller group, because they do not agree with the larger group’s beliefs, aims, methods etc :
▪ They broke away and formed a splinter group that believed in revolution, not gradual change.
▪ The splinter group rapidly gained support from discontented members.
8. a group of people who have been chosen to give information, answer questions etc
▷ sample /ˈsɑːmp ə lǁˈsæm-/ [countable noun]
▪ 56% of the women in the sample said that they supported the government’s policies.
random sample
one that is chosen completely by chance, not according to a plan
▪ These responses were drawn from a random sample of the electorate.
representative sample
one that is designed to contain a balance of different types of people
▪ She based her analysis on data from a representative sample of women and men aged 18-25.
▷ focus group /ˈfəʊkəs ˌgruːp/ [countable noun]
a small group of ordinary people who are chosen to give their opinions about a particular product or idea, in order to help the organization that supplies it to know what the public wants or thinks :
▪ We use focus groups, surveys, and questionnaires to try to gauge our customers’ needs.
▪ Focus groups revealed that teenagers who had higher self-confidence were more likely to use contraception.
9. when people come together to form a group
▷ form a group/get into a group /ˌfɔːʳm ə ˈgruːp, ˌget ɪntʊ ə ˈgruːp/ [verb phrase]
to stand or sit close together in order to make a group so that you can do something together :
▪ We formed groups, and discussed the text together.
▪ Several people formed a group round the speaker.
form/get into groups of three/four etc
▪ Get into groups of three for this exercise.
▷ group /gruːp/ [intransitive verb]
to stand or sit close together so that you form a group :
group around/behind/outside etc
▪ Students grouped around the notice board to read their exam results.
group together
▪ Julia sat down at the piano, and the others grouped together to sing.
▷ assemble /əˈsemb ə l/ [intransitive verb]
if a group of people assemble, they come together in one place, especially to talk about something or to plan something together :
▪ I looked down onto the square, where a large crowd had assembled.
assemble opposite/outside/in front of etc
▪ A large crowd had assembled opposite the American embassy.
▪ A group of angry parents had assembled outside the head teacher’s office.
▷ huddle /ˈhʌdl/ [intransitive verb]
to form a group by moving very close to each other, especially in order to keep warm, feel safer etc :
▪ A group of beggars were huddling in the shop entrance to keep dry.
huddle together
▪ The room didn’t have any heating, and we had to huddle together for warmth.
▷ cluster /ˈklʌstəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
to form a small group by moving very close to each other in order to look at something, talk to someone etc :
▪ Children had clustered outside the shop window to look at the toys on display.
cluster together
▪ The nurses were clustered together in the corridor, giggling about something.
10. a number of things thought of as a group
▷ group /gruːp/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
a number of separate things that are thought of as a group because they are close together or are all similar in some way :
group of
▪ The house was hidden behind a tall group of trees.
▪ News International is a group of companies that produce newspapers and TV programmes.
▪ A group of new houses is to be built on the old playing-field.
▪ Today you will learn a new group of verbs.
▷ set /set/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]
a group of similar things that are used together, or a group of ideas, facts etc :
▪ a chess set
▪ a cutlery set
set of
▪ Amy bought him a set of tools for metal and woodworking.
▪ I gave a spare set of house keys to my neighbours.
▪ The first set of questions wasn’t too bad, but they got really difficult after that.
▪ We started the meeting by agreeing on a set of objectives.
▷ collection /kəˈlekʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a group of similar things that have been put together because they are interesting or attractive :
collection of
▪ a collection of ancient Greek coins
▪ The museum has a superb collection of Mexican pottery.
art/stamp/postcard etc collection
▪ Have you seen her CD collection - it’s enormous!
▷ lot /lɒtǁlɑːt/ [singular noun] British informal
a group of things :
this lot/that lot
▪ She handed me a bag of old clothes. ‘Could you take this lot to the charity shop for me?’
▪ Right lads, let’s pick up this lot and go home.
▪ Bring that lot over here, will you?
▷ assortment /əˈsɔːʳtmənt/ [countable noun usually singular]
a group of things of different types, or different things of one type, mixed together :
assortment of
▪ On the floor was an assortment of boxes and packages.
▪ The soldier received a parcel containing an assortment of shirts, biscuits, and canned food.
▷ cluster /ˈklʌstəʳ/ [countable noun]
a small group of things of the same type that are close to each other :
cluster of
▪ From the airplane we could already see little clusters of houses.
▪ It’s an attractive shrub with dark shiny leaves, that has clusters of white flowers in early June.
▪ The adult female lays large clusters of eggs.
in clusters
▪ Most galaxies are found in clusters rather than in isolation.
▷ batch /bætʃ/ [countable noun]
a group of things of the same type that are made or dealt with at the same time :
▪ Sort the files into batches and give one batch to each secretary.
batch of
▪ The baker took a batch of freshly baked rolls out of the oven.
▪ Mr Green, I have a batch of letters here for you to sign.
11. a group of things that are tied together or fastened together
▷ bundle /ˈbʌndl/ [countable noun]
several things of the same type, for example papers, clothes, or sticks, that are fastened or tied together :
▪ She keeps all his old letters, tied up in bundles.
bundle of
▪ a bundle of twigs
▪ He put his hand in his pocket, and pulled out a large bundle of £50 notes.
▷ bunch /bʌntʃ/ [countable noun]
bunch of flowers/keys/grapes etc
a group of flowers, keys etc fastened, tied, or held together :
▪ He handed her a huge bunch of roses.
▪ Has anyone seen a bunch of keys?
▪ I bought a kilo of apples and a bunch of grapes.
▷ wad /wɒdǁwɑːd/ [countable noun]
a number of sheets of paper, especially paper money, that are held or tied together :
wad of
▪ I saw him trying to press a wad of cash into the woman’s hand. She wouldn’t take it.
▪ She opened her handbag, and pulled out a wad of banknotes.
▷ sheaf /ʃiːf/ [countable noun]
sheaf of papers/notes etc
a lot of pieces of paper held or fastened together in a flat pile :
▪ He had a sheaf of papers under his arm.
▪ I saw her put a sheaf of notes into her briefcase.
12. a group of things on top of each other
▷ pile /paɪl/ []
several things of the same kind placed one on top of the other :
▪ Put those letters on the other pile.
▪ Can you separate those out into two piles - A to L and M to Z, please?
pile of
▪ Greg carried the pile of ironed shirts upstairs.
▪ Her office is a terrible mess - there are piles of papers all over the floor.
▪ a pile of dirty dishes
in piles
▪ The books were arranged in neat piles on her desk.
▷ heap /hiːp/ []
a lot of things lying one on top of the other in an untidy way :
heap of
▪ There was a huge heap of blankets and pillows on the bed.
in a heap
▪ The kids left all their wet towels in a heap on the bathroom floor.
▷ stack /stæk/ [countable noun]
a large number of things put neatly on top of each other :
▪ The whole stack fell over, and half the plates got broken.
stack of
▪ Next to the bottles was a tall stack of plastic cups.
▪ a stack of sales brochures
▷ mound /maʊnd/ [countable noun]
a large pile of something :
mound of
▪ The Grand Hotel was now just a mound of rubble.
▪ A mound of leaves is the perfect place for a hedgehog to hibernate.
13. to put things or people into groups
▷ sort /sɔːʳt/ [transitive verb]
to arrange a large number of things by putting them into groups, so that you can deal with each group separately :
▪ It takes a couple of hours to sort the mail in the morning.
sort something into something
▪ We sorted all the clothes into two piles - those to be kept, and those to be given away.
▪ The rubbish has to be sorted into things that can be recycled and things that can’t
sort something according to something
▪ The eggs are sorted according to size.
▷ categorize also categorise British /ˈkætɪgəraɪz, ˈkætəgəraɪz/ [transitive verb]
to decide which group something should belong to, when there is a clear system of separate groups :
▪ Communication involves a variety of behaviours which are difficult to categorise.
categorize something according to something
▪ The hotels are categorized according to the standard of the rooms and services they offer.
categorize into
▪ Words can be categorised into verbs, nouns, adjectives etc.
▪ Animals are categorised into three types - carnivores, herbivores and omnivores.
categorize something as something
say which group it is in
▪ The store categorizes records from Asia and Africa as ‘World Music’.
▷ classify /ˈklæsɪfaɪ, ˈklæsəfaɪ/ [transitive verb]
to decide what group books, plants, animals etc belong to according to an official or scientific system :
▪ Scientists have discovered a new type of butterfly which has not yet been classified.
classify something as
▪ 43 countries are categorized as ‘low-income’ by the World Bank.
▪ Babies walking later than 18 months were classified as slow walkers.
classification /ˌklæsɪfəˈkeɪʃ ə n, ˌklæsəfəˈkeɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
▪ There is no common European standard for the classification of hotels.
▷ be grouped /biː ˈgruːpt/ [verb phrase]
if people or things are grouped, they have been put into separate groups according to a system :
be grouped according to
▪ The vehicles are grouped according to engine size.
be grouped together
▪ Non-fiction books are grouped together under different subjects.
be grouped into
▪ Most European languages can be grouped into two main families.
group something into types/categories/classes etc
▪ The respondents were grouped into three categories - non-smokers, smokers, and ex-smokers.
▷ class /klɑːsǁklæs/ [transitive verb]
to say that people or things belong to a particular group, especially according to an official system :
class somebody/something as something
▪ This prison houses the most dangerous criminals in Britain, those classed as "category A'.
▪ Heroin and cocaine are classed as hard drugs.
▷ grade /greɪd/ [transitive verb]
to separate things such as food, drinks, or products into groups according to their quality :
▪ All the fruit is taken to the warehouse where it is graded and packed.
▪ One supermarket now grades its wines on a scale of 1 to 9, from driest to sweetest.