I. throng 1 /θrɒŋ $ θrɒːŋ/ BrE AmE noun [countable] written
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: thrang , gethrang ]
a large group of people in one place SYN crowd :
She got lost in the throng.
throng of
a throng of excited spectators
• • •
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
II. throng 2 BrE AmE verb
1 . [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] if people throng a place, they go there in large numbers:
Tourists thronged the bars and restaurants.
2 . be thronged with somebody/something if a place is thronged with people or things, there are a lot of them there:
The streets were thronged with Christmas shoppers.