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
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 Web
Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025
But a core part of what many companies have done — hoard and apportion tech talent and time — may be in for a real shakeup, and soon.
—Gina Chua, semafor.com, 5 June 2025
R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2025
Many people who hoard live in places that pose extreme risk for fire and can trap themselves or firefighters inside.
—Eric Thomas, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoard
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Noun
Russia has launched extensive aerial attacks across Ukraine in recent weeks, firing hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles and sending hoards of explosive drones toward major cities.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025
But a core part of what many companies have done — hoard and apportion tech talent and time — may be in for a real shakeup, and soon.
—Gina Chua, semafor.com, 5 June 2025
Verb
Shame can be managed, the loss of life can’t and many people who hoard live in places that pose extreme risk for fire and can trap themselves or firefighters inside.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2025
Many people who hoard live in places that pose extreme risk for fire and can trap themselves or firefighters inside.
—Eric Thomas, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoard
Cite this Entry
“Hoard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hoard. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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