plural hoards
: a supply or fund stored up and often hidden away
a hoard of cash
hoarded; hoarding; hoards
1
: to collect and often hide away a supply of : to accumulate a hoard (see hoard entry 1) of
hoarding food
2
: to keep (something, such as one's thoughts) to oneself
she hoarded her intention—
Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolfthe people outside disperse their affections, you hoard yours, you nurse them into intensity—Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad
: to collect and often hide away a supply of something
specifically
: to engage in compulsive hoarding
One thing people who hoard have in common is a skewed perceived value of possessions. —My Edmonds News (Edmonds, Washington)
My Edmonds News (Edmonds, Washington)
plural hoards
: a temporary board fence put around a building being erected or repaired : hoarding entry 2 sense 1
Synonyms
Examples of hoard in a Sentence
Noun (1)
a squirrel's hoard of nuts
keeps a hoard of empty yogurt containers in his basement workshop for storing whatnots
Verb
he's been hoarding empty yogurt containers all winter, with the intention of using them to start seedlings in the spring
Recent Examples on the WebKwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023
The song soundtracks an epic chase scene in which Barbie (Margot Robbie) flees a hoard of Mattel executives led by Will Ferrell as CEO.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 17 Aug. 2023
Meanwhile, Big Tech companies used their huge cash hoards to snap up smaller competitors, with antitrust regulators only recently beginning to clamp down on consolidation.
—Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2023
Meanwhile, Boyd tries to stage a daring robbery that will strip Markham of his considerable cash hoard, Raylan puts the screws to the eternally slippery Wynn Duffy (Jere Burns, who’s been hovering around the story for several seasons now), and Ava is still caught in the middle of it all.
—Matthew Jackson, Vulture, 12 July 2023
One source estimated the entire hoard could be worth closer to $2 million than $1 million, the Smithsonian said.
—Rae Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 3 Aug. 2023
Most celebrities are well aware that fame comes with hoards of attention, sometimes unwanted.
—Niki McGloster, refinery29.com, 2 Aug. 2023
Now, a Civil War coin hoard that may have been buried to protect its contents from Confederate raiders is joining the ranks of these fascinating finds.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 July 2023
Baird paid Dall $200 a year ($7,000 in today’s dollars) to ship his hoard to the museum.
—Kathleen Sharp For Propublica, Anchorage Daily News, 26 Apr. 2023
Eric Tucker, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2023
While some governments have expressed support for Japan, others have strongly opposed the wastewater release, with many consumers in Asia hoarding salt and seafood amid fears of future contamination.
—Emiko Jozuka, CNN, 23 Aug. 2023
The case is part of an ongoing set of escalating legal troubles for the ex-president, coming nearly two months after Mr. Trump pleaded not guilty to dozens of federal felony counts accusing him of hoarding classified documents and thwarting government efforts to retrieve them.
—Michael Kunzelman, Eric Tucker, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Aug. 2023
Two of Trump’s indictments are in federal court — in Miami for allegedly hoarding classified documents and refusing government demands to return them, and in Washington for charges related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
—Paul Farhi, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023
Lazlo Lazlo was rescued with over 55 other dogs from a hoarding situation.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 25 Aug. 2023
And — perhaps unsurprisingly, because people with hoarding problems face a higher risk of becoming homeless — piles of furniture and boxes build up in the Cecil’s hallways.
—Jaimie Ding, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023
Trump was charged in Florida with keeping national defense secrets, making false statements, and conspiracy to obstruct justice, among other things, for hoarding classified materials at Mar-a-Lago.
—Tori Otten, The New Republic, 23 Aug. 2023
Additionally, the aging patriarch, hoarding his family’s wealth and forcing them into squalor for a chance at personal glory, can be seen as an allegory to Iran’s theocracy.
—Jon Gambrell, USA TODAY, 18 Aug. 2023
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Noun
Nor is pointing out that the items in the hoard are not of any actual use — part of the condition is a tendency to believe that something will come in handy in the future or that disposing of it would be wasteful.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023
The song soundtracks an epic chase scene in which Barbie (Margot Robbie) flees a hoard of Mattel executives led by Will Ferrell as CEO.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 17 Aug. 2023
Meanwhile, Big Tech companies used their huge cash hoards to snap up smaller competitors, with antitrust regulators only recently beginning to clamp down on consolidation.
—Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2023
Meanwhile, Boyd tries to stage a daring robbery that will strip Markham of his considerable cash hoard, Raylan puts the screws to the eternally slippery Wynn Duffy (Jere Burns, who’s been hovering around the story for several seasons now), and Ava is still caught in the middle of it all.
—Matthew Jackson, Vulture, 12 July 2023
One source estimated the entire hoard could be worth closer to $2 million than $1 million, the Smithsonian said.
—Rae Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 3 Aug. 2023
Most celebrities are well aware that fame comes with hoards of attention, sometimes unwanted.
—Niki McGloster, refinery29.com, 2 Aug. 2023
Now, a Civil War coin hoard that may have been buried to protect its contents from Confederate raiders is joining the ranks of these fascinating finds.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 July 2023
Baird paid Dall $200 a year ($7,000 in today’s dollars) to ship his hoard to the museum.
—Kathleen Sharp For Propublica, Anchorage Daily News, 26 Apr. 2023
Verb
One of his lead lawyers, Tim Parlatore, left the legal team weeks before Trump was indicted in Florida on charges of illegally hoarding classified documents, citing conflicts with a top Trump adviser.
—Eric Tucker, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2023
While some governments have expressed support for Japan, others have strongly opposed the wastewater release, with many consumers in Asia hoarding salt and seafood amid fears of future contamination.
—Emiko Jozuka, CNN, 23 Aug. 2023
The case is part of an ongoing set of escalating legal troubles for the ex-president, coming nearly two months after Mr. Trump pleaded not guilty to dozens of federal felony counts accusing him of hoarding classified documents and thwarting government efforts to retrieve them.
—Michael Kunzelman, Eric Tucker, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Aug. 2023
Two of Trump’s indictments are in federal court — in Miami for allegedly hoarding classified documents and refusing government demands to return them, and in Washington for charges related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
—Paul Farhi, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023
Lazlo Lazlo was rescued with over 55 other dogs from a hoarding situation.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 25 Aug. 2023
And — perhaps unsurprisingly, because people with hoarding problems face a higher risk of becoming homeless — piles of furniture and boxes build up in the Cecil’s hallways.
—Jaimie Ding, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023
Trump was charged in Florida with keeping national defense secrets, making false statements, and conspiracy to obstruct justice, among other things, for hoarding classified materials at Mar-a-Lago.
—Tori Otten, The New Republic, 23 Aug. 2023
Additionally, the aging patriarch, hoarding his family’s wealth and forcing them into squalor for a chance at personal glory, can be seen as an allegory to Iran’s theocracy.
—Jon Gambrell, USA TODAY, 18 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hoard.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1) and Verb
Middle English hord, from Old English; akin to Goth huzd treasure, Old English hȳdan to hide
First Known Use
Noun (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun (2)
1757, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of hoard was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing hoard
Articles Related to hoard
Dictionary Entries Near hoard
Cite this Entry
“Hoard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hoard. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
hoard
nounˈhō(ə)rd,
ˈhȯ(ə)rd
: a hidden supply or fund stored up
hoard
verb
hoarder
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on hoard
Nglish: Translation of hoard for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of hoard for Arabic Speakers
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