flock

flock¹ (fl

1. A group of animals that live, travel, or feed together.

2. A group of people under the leadership of one person, especially the members of a church.

3. A large crowd or number: had a flock of questions.

intr.v. flocked, flock·ing, flocks

To congregate or travel in a flock or crowd.

[Middle English flok, from Old English floc.]

Synonyms: flock¹, herd, drove², pack¹, gang¹, brood
These nouns denote a number of animals, birds, or fish considered collectively, and some have human connotations. Flock is applied to a congregation of animals of one kind, especially sheep or goats herded by people, and to any congregation of wild or domesticated birds, especially when on the ground. It is also applicable to people who form the membership of a church or to people under someone's care or supervision. Herd is used of a number of animals, especially cattle, herded by people; or of wild animals such as antelope, elephants, and zebras; or of whales and seals. Applied to people, it is used disparagingly of a crowd or of the masses and suggests the gregarious aspect of crowd psychology. Drove is used of a herd or flock, as of cattle or geese, that is being moved or driven from one place to another; less often it refers to a crowd of people in movement. Pack is applicable to any body of animals, especially wolves, or of birds, especially grouse, and to a body of hounds trained to hunt as a unit. It also refers disparagingly to a band or group of persons. Gang refers to a herd, especially of buffalo or elk; to a pack of wolves or wild dogs; or to various associations of persons, especially when engaged in violent or criminal pursuits. Brood is applicable to offspring that are still under the care of a mother, especially the offspring of domestic or game birds or, less formally, of people.·The following related terms are used as indicated: bevy, a company of roe deer, larks, or quail; cast, the number of hawks or falcons cast off at one time, usually a pair; cete, a company of badgers; covert, a flock of coots; covey, a family of grouse, partridges, or other game birds; drift, a drove or herd, especially of hogs; exaltation, a flight of larks; fall, a family of woodcock in flight; flight, a flock of birds in flight; gaggle, a flock of geese; gam, a school of whales, or a social congregation of whalers, especially at sea; kennel, a number of hounds or dogs housed in one place or under the same ownership; kindle, a brood or litter, especially of kittens; litter, the total number of offspring produced at a single birth by a multiparous mammal; murder, a flock of crows; muster, a flock of peacocks; nide, a brood of pheasants; pod, a small herd of seals or whales; pride, a company of lions; rout, a company of people or animals in movement, especially knights or wolves; school, a congregation of fish, or aquatic mammals such as dolphins or porpoises; shrewdness, a company of apes; skein, a flight of wildfowl, especially geese; skulk, a congregation of vermin, especially foxes, or of thieves; sloth, a company of bears; sord, a flight of mallards; sounder, a herd of wild boar; stable, a number of horses housed in one place or under the same ownership; swarm, a colony of insects, such as ants, bees, or wasps, especially when migrating to a new nest or hive; troop, a number of animals, birds, or people, especially when on the move; warren, the inhabitants, such as rabbits, of a warren; watch, a flock of nightingales; and wisp, a flock of birds, especially of snipe. See Also Synonyms at crowd¹.

flock ¹

Noun

1. a group of animals of one kind, esp. sheep or birds

2. a large number of people

3. a congregation of Christians regarded as the responsibility of a member of the clergy

Verb

to gather together or move in large numbers [Old English flocc]

flock ²

Noun

waste from fabrics such as cotton or wool, used for stuffing mattresses

Adjective

(of wallpaper) having a velvety raised pattern [Latin floccus tuft of wool]

Flock a company of people, birds, or animals; a group of Christians who worship together. See also bevy, drove.

Examples: flock of acquaintances; of affections, 1601; of auks [at sea]; of bats; of birds; of bitterns; of bustards; of camels, 1839; of Christians; of coots; of cotton, 1756; of cranes; of ducks [flying in a line]; of elephants, 1614; of fish, 1480; of friends; of geese [on the ground], 1596; of goats; of hens, 1690; of interpreters, 1581; of lice; of pamphlets, 1642; of parrots; of prophets; of seals; of sheep, 1340; of ships [book title by B. Callison]; of swifts; of wool, 1440.

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	flock - a church congregation guided by a pastor congregation, faithful, fold - a group of people who adhere to a common faith and habitually attend a given church
	2.	flock - a group of birds bird - warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings bevy - a flock of birds (especially when gathered close together on the ground); "we were visited at breakfast by a bevy of excited ducks" covert - a flock of coots covey - a small flock of grouse or partridge exaltation - a flock of larks (especially a flock of larks in flight overhead) gaggle - a flock of geese wisp - a flock of snipe animal group - a group of animals flight - a flock of flying birds
	3.	flock - (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent; "a batch of letters"; "a deal of trouble"; "a lot of money"; "he made a mint on the stock market"; "see the rest of the winners in our huge passel of photos"; "it must have cost plenty"; "a slew of journalists"; "a wad of money" good deal, great deal, hatful, lot, muckle, passel, peck, mickle, mint, quite a little, slew, spate, tidy sum, wad, stack, raft, mountain, pile, plenty, mass, batch, heap, deal, pot, mess, sight large indefinite amount, large indefinite quantity - an indefinite quantity that is above the average in size or magnitude deluge, flood, inundation, torrent - an overwhelming number or amount; "a flood of requests"; "a torrent of abuse" haymow - a mass of hay piled up in a barn for preservation
	4.	flock - an orderly crowd; "a troop of children" troop crowd - a large number of things or people considered together; "a crowd of insects assembled around the flowers"
	5.	flock - a group of sheep or goats fold sheep - woolly usually horned ruminant mammal related to the goat animal group - a group of animals
Verb	1.	flock - move as a crowd or in a group; "Tourists flocked to the shrine where the statue was said to have shed tears" go, locomote, move, travel - change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"; "news travelled fast"
	2.	flock - come together as in a cluster or flock; "The poets constellate in this town every summer" cluster, constellate, clump huddle, huddle together - crowd or draw together; "let's huddle together--it's cold!" bunch, bunch together, bunch up - form into a bunch; "The frightened children bunched together in the corner of the classroom" foregather, forgather, gather, assemble, meet - collect in one place; "We assembled in the church basement"; "Let's gather in the dining room"