mul ‧ ti ‧ tude /ˈmʌltətjuːd, ˈmʌltɪtjuːd $ -tuːd/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: Latin multitudo , from multus ; ⇨ ↑ multi- ]
1 . a multitude of somebody/something formal or literary a very large number of people or things:
I had never seen such a multitude of stars before.
a multitude of possible interpretations
2 . the multitude(s) ordinary people, especially when they are thought of as not being very well educated:
Political power has been placed in the hands of the multitude.
3 . [countable] literary or biblical a large crowd of people:
Clamoring multitudes demanded a view of the Pope.
4 . cover/hide a multitude of sins to make faults or problems seem less clear or noticeable – used humorously:
Patterned carpet can hide a multitude of sins (=the carpet is dirty, but the pattern hides it) .
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THESAURUS
▪ crowd a large number of people together in one place:
The exhibition is expected to attract large crowds of visitors.
▪ mob a crowd of noisy and violent people who are difficult to control:
The mob set fire to cars and buildings.
▪ mass a very large crowd which is not moving and which is very difficult to move through:
the mass of people in the station
▪ horde a large crowd of people, especially people who are behaving in a way that you disapprove of or that annoys you:
the hordes of tourists on the island
▪ droves [plural] a crowd of people – used especially when you are talking about a crowd of people who move from one place to another:
The public came in droves to see the event.
▪ throng literary a very large crowd:
A great throng had gathered to listen to his speech.
▪ flock a large group of people of the same type, especially when they have a leader:
A flock of children were being shown through the museum.
▪ pack a group of people of the same type, especially a group you do not approve of:
A pack of reporters shouted questions.
▪ swarm a large crowd of people who are moving quickly in many directions in a very uncontrolled way:
a swarm of children in the playground
▪ crush a crowd of people who are pressed close together:
There was such a crush on the Metro this morning.
▪ multitude formal literary a very large number of people, especially ordinary people:
The Emperor came out to speak to the multitude.
⇨ ↑ group