Link Centre Dictionary

swarm

UK/swɔːm/ US/swɔɹm/ fairly common
verb (2) noun (2)

verb

1.

be teeming, be abuzz

  • “The garden was swarming with bees”
  • “The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen”
  • “her mind pullulated with worries”
Synonyms
2.

move in large numbers

  • “people were pouring out of the theater”
  • “beggars pullulated in the plaza”
Synonyms

noun

1.

a moving crowd

Synonyms
2.

a group of many insects

  • “a swarm of insects obscured the light”
  • “a cloud of butterflies”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English swarm, from Old English swearm (“swarm, multitude”), from Proto-West Germanic *swarm, from Proto-Germanic *swarmaz (“swarm, dizziness”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“to buzz, hum”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Swoorm (“swarm”), Dutch zwerm, German Schwarm, Danish sværm, Swedish svärm, Icelandic svarmur (“tumult, swarm”), Latin susurrus (“whispering, humming”), Lithuanian surma (“a pipe”), Russian свире́ль (svirélʹ, “a pipe, reed”). The verb is from Middle English swarmen, swermen, from Old English swirman (“to swarm”), from Proto-West Germanic *swarmijan, from Proto-Germanic *swarmijaną (“to swarm”), from the noun. Cognate with Scots swairm, swerm (“to swarm”), Dutch zwermen, German schwärmen, Danish sværme, Swedish svärma.

Phrases

  • dyke swarm
  • Dyson swarm
  • swarm intelligence
  • swarm plot
  • swarm spore

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.