swarm

swarm ¹  (swôrm)

n.

1. A large number of insects or other small organisms, especially when in motion.

2. A group of bees with a queen bee in migration to establish a new colony. See Synonyms at flock¹.

3. An aggregation of persons or animals, especially when in turmoil or moving in mass: A swarm of friends congratulated him.

4. A number of similar geologic phenomena or features occurring closely within a given period or place: a swarm of earthquakes.

v. swarmed, swarm·ing, swarms

v.intr.

1.

a. To move or emerge in a swarm.

b. To leave a hive as a swarm. Used of bees.

2. To move or gather in large numbers.

3. To be overrun; teem: a riverbank swarming with insects. See Synonyms at teem¹.

v.tr.

To fill with a crowd: sailors swarming the ship's deck.

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[Middle English, group of bees, from Old English swearm.]

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swarmer n.

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swarm ¹

Noun

1. a group of bees, led by a queen, that has left the hive to make a new home

2. a large mass of insects or other small animals

3. a moving mass of people

Verb

1. to move quickly and in large numbers

2. to be overrun: the place is swarming with cops [Old English swearm]

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swarm ²

Verb

swarm up to climb (a ladder or rope) by gripping it with the hands and feet: the boys swarmed up the rigging [origin unknown]

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Swarm a large number of small animals or insects, usually in motion; throngs of people or things, sometimes of an irritating or annoying nature.

Examples: swarm of adders, 1569; of fair advantages, 1596; of the Anti-Christ, 1549; of ants; of bees, 1300; of bishops, 1553; of their demands, 1785; of dust, 1890; of eels; of fireflies, 1842; of flies, 1560; of folk, 1423; of footmen, 1542; of fowl, 1600; of fry, 1780; of gnats—Brewer; of heretics, 1581; of hornets; of horsemen, 1542; of insects; of locusts, 1684; of meteorites; of ministers of Christ, 1685; of sins, 1582; of tiger, 1600; of vessels, 1698; of wasps.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	swarm - a moving crowd drove, horde crowd - a large number of things or people considered together; "a crowd of insects assembled around the flowers"
	2.	swarm - a group of many things in the air or on the ground; "a swarm of insects obscured the light"; "clouds of blossoms"; "it discharged a cloud of spores" cloud group, grouping - any number of entities (members) considered as a unit insect - small air-breathing arthropod infestation, plague - a swarm of insects that attack plants; "a plague of grasshoppers"
Verb	1.	swarm - be teeming, be abuzz; "The garden was swarming with bees"; "The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen"; "her mind pullulated with worries" pullulate, teem seethe, hum, buzz - be noisy with activity; "This office is buzzing with activity" crawl - be full of; "The old cheese was crawling with maggots"
	2.	swarm - move in large numbers; "people were pouring out of the theater"; "beggars pullulated in the plaza" pour, pullulate, teem, stream crowd together, crowd - to gather together in large numbers; "men in straw boaters and waxed mustaches crowded the verandah" spill out, spill over, pour out - be disgorged; "The crowds spilled out into the streets"

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swarm

noun 1. multitude, crowd, mass, army, host, drove, flock, herd, horde, myriad, throng, shoal, concourse, bevy

verb 2. crowd, flock, throng, mass, stream, congregate

verb 3. teem, crawl, be alive, abound, bristle, be overrun, be infested

Translations

swarm [swɔːm] n [of bees] → enjambre m;

(fig) → multitud f

vi (fig) → hormiguear, pulular

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swarm [swɔːm] n → essaim m

vi [bees] → essaimer; [people] → grouiller;

to be swarming with → grouiller de

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swarm [swɔːm] n → Schwarm m;

(of people) → Schar f

vi (bees, people) → schwärmen;

to be swarming with → wimmeln von

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swarm [swɔːm] n → sciame m

vi → formicolare; [bees] → sciamare