swarm Hear it!

swarm¹ Definition

swarm (swôrm)

noun

  1. a large number of bees, led by a queen, leaving one hive for another to start a new colony
  2. a colony of bees in a hive
  3. a moving mass, crowd, or throng a swarm of onlookers

Etymology: ME < OE swearm, akin to Ger schwarm, prob. < IE base *swer-, to buzz > L susurrare, to hiss, whisper, sorex, Gr hyrax, shrew

intransitive verb

  1. to gather and fly off in a swarm: said of bees
  2. to move, collect, be present, etc. in large numbers; throng; abound
  3. to be filled or crowded; teem

transitive verb

to fill with a swarm; crowd; throng

swarm¹ Related Forms
swarmer noun
swarm² Definition

swarm (swôrm)

intransitive verb, transitive verb

to climb (a tree, mast, pole, etc.) using the hands and feet; shin (up)

Etymology: orig. naut. word < ?

swarm Synonyms

swarm

n.

throng, crowd, multitude, dense crowd, horde, pack, troop, drove, shoal, school, colony, hive, cloud, flock, mass; see also crowd 1. See syn. study at crowd.

swarm Synonyms

swarm

v.

gather like bees, rush together, crowd, cluster, move in a crowd, throng, flock together, gather in multitudes; see also teem.

swarm Usage Examples

Object

  • ant: I walked in about 20 feet and there they were in their favored halls of swarming army ants.
  • bee: The bees swarmed from the nest leaving the delicious honey comb behind.

Converse of object

  • shake: Hello, is it too late to do a shook swarm?
  • collect: I am indebted to Norman for going to collect two swarms that I had received notice of.

Adjective modifier

  • dense: Male eyesight is adapted to locate females among the dense swarm of males, despite dim light.
  • extensive: This flow direction is confirmed by the extensive swarms of drumlins that are found in LCAs to the south of the Lagan Valley.

Modifies a noun

  • intelligence: That is not surprising as these methods form the most mature applications of swarm intelligence.
  • algorithm: So they take a second direction of using simple computer simulations to demonstrate this -- based on the " swarm algorithm " .

Noun used with modifier

  • 'drumlin: Below ca 350m, there is an almost complete mantle of drumlins forming an internationally acknowledged type example of a 'drumlin swarm ' .
  • locust: In the north of the country, however, farmers face a further threat from locust swarms.
  • krill: Krill swarms may be quite small, just a few meters long.
  • dike: Also associated with the volcanic activity was the development of dikes and dike swarms.
  • ant: First stop is for an army ant swarm, not far from the drive entrance.
  • comet: These comet swarms would stay around for several million years.

Preposition: of

  • locust: Every day a swarm of 50,000 million desert locusts eats the amount of food needed by 500,000 people for a year.
  • bee: He'd take a swarm of bees, he wouldn't put a mask or anything on.
  • jellyfish: Swarms of jellyfish slowly began to collect in a pool of morning light.
  • wasp: The swarm of wasps rose up like a tornado.
  • midge: Before a whole swarm of these midges appeared from nowhere!
  • ant: Flying swarms of mating ants may cause great distress to people who do not know what they are.
swarm Quotes

Come, friendly bombs, and fall on Slough It isn't fit for humans now There isn't grass to graze a cow Swarm over, Death!

—Betjeman, SirJohn

Browse dictionary entries near swarm

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  10. Swansea
  1. swarm spore
  2. swart
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  4. swarthy
  5. Swartkrans ape-man
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  9. swashbuckling
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