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Meaning & use

crowd

noun, verb·Everyday

Last updated

UK/kraʊd/
US/kraʊd/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A large number of people gathered close together in one place.

    Grammar: Countable: a crowd, crowds. Can take a singular or plural verb: the crowd was/were cheering.

    Patterns

    • a crowd of people
    • join the crowd
    • in a crowd

    A huge crowd gathered in the square to watch the concert.

    I lost my friends in the crowd at the festival.

    The crowd cheered as the team scored.

  2. verbtransitive

    To fill a place so that it becomes uncomfortably full of people or things.

    Grammar: Takes an object: shoppers crowded the aisles. Often used in the passive: the room was crowded with guests.

    Patterns

    • crowd a place
    • be crowded with someone/something

    Fans crowded the stadium hours before the match.

    Tourists crowd the beaches every summer.

    The small café was crowded with students studying for exams.

  3. verbintransitive

    To gather in large numbers in one place.

    Grammar: No object; often followed by around, into, or together: they crowded around the table.

    Patterns

    • crowd around someone/something
    • crowd into a place
    • crowd together

    Reporters crowded around the actress as she left the theater.

    People crowded into the tiny shop to escape the rain.

    The children crowded together to see the puppy.

Word forms

pluralcrowds
third person singularcrowds
past tensecrowded
past participlecrowded
-ing formcrowding

Common combinations

a crowd of people
A crowd of people waited outside the store for the sale.
join the crowd
We decided to join the crowd and see what was happening.
crowd around
The kids crowded around the magician to watch his tricks.
be crowded with
The train was crowded with commuters during rush hour.
stand out from the crowd
Her bright red coat made her stand out from the crowd.

Synonyms and how they differ

throng
More literary and suggests a dense, moving crowd; crowd is the everyday word.
mob
A crowd that is angry or out of control; crowd is neutral.
audience
People gathered to watch or listen, often seated; a crowd may be just passing by.

Word family

crowded adjective
Full of people or things; uncomfortably full.
crowding noun
The act of filling a space with too many people or things.

Commonly confused: crowd or crow?

crowd vs crow

A crow is a large black bird; crowd is a group of people. They sound similar but are different words.

Practice

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