Meaning & use
leaving in droves
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
Leaving a place or situation in large numbers, often suddenly or because of dissatisfaction.
Grammar: Used after verbs like 'be', 'go', 'leave'. The phrase is always 'in droves' (plural).
Patterns
- leave in droves
- go in droves
- be leaving in droves
After the factory closed, workers left the town in droves.
Fans left the stadium in droves when it started to rain heavily.
Customers are leaving the company in droves because of the poor service.
Common combinations
- leave in droves
- Tourists left the beach in droves when the storm approached.
- go in droves
- People go in droves to see the cherry blossoms in spring.
- flee in droves
- Refugees fled the country in droves.
Synonyms and how they differ
- in large numbers
- More neutral and general; 'in droves' emphasizes a mass movement, often with a sense of urgency or dissatisfaction.
- en masse
- Formal; means 'all together as a group', while 'in droves' suggests many individuals leaving separately but at the same time.
Opposites
Commonly confused: leaving in droves or droves?
leaving in droves vs droves
'Droves' is the plural of 'drove', which can mean a herd of animals or a large crowd of people. The idiom 'in droves' uses this plural form.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'leaving in droves' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Leaving in droves' means many people leaving together, so option B fits. Option An is wrong because it refers to a single cat. Option C is wrong because 'in droves' implies a large group, not one person. Option D contradicts itself: 'in droves' means in large numbers, not one by one.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “leaving in droves”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.