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 WebBill Stone, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
On the last night, each race was filled with cheers: cheers as the horses and their drivers were released from behind the gate, cheers each time the hoard of racing horses passed by on the half-mile track, and even more cheers when a particular horse took the lead and crossed the finish line.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 8 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hoard 
Noun
Berkshire expanded the cash hoard on its Fort Knox balance sheet, retaining the unique ability to take advantage of investment opportunities in any downturn while virtually eliminating the risk of ruin.
—Bill Stone, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
On the last night, each race was filled with cheers: cheers as the horses and their drivers were released from behind the gate, cheers each time the hoard of racing horses passed by on the half-mile track, and even more cheers when a particular horse took the lead and crossed the finish line.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 8 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hoard
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.
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Cite this Entry
“Hoard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hoard. Accessed 4 May. 2024.
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