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
Example Sentences
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 WebPaul Vigna, WSJ, 17 Nov. 2022
There, Karim organizes the unloading and stashing of the hoard and strides through the project’s broad central esplanade to its ramparts, where other activists are gathered—as the camera then flies out into open space and yields a panoramic view of the complex in revolt.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2022
Their property was indeed raided by the Met’s Arts and Antiquities Fraud squad in 2008, and a hoard of allegedly fake McLaren and Westwood garments and associated materials were seized, along with 120 counterfeit Banksy prints.
—New York Times, 8 Sep. 2021
The Mountain View, Calif., company, sitting on a $120 billion cash hoard, is unlikely to shrink from a legal fight.
—Brent Kendall and Rob Copeland, WSJ, 20 Oct. 2020
Yet even for a team well-represented across MLB's positional top-10 lists, one Astros All-Star appears under-appreciated by both national circles and even the hoards of die-hards across Houston.
—Michael Shapiro, Chron, 21 Feb. 2023
Some of these burgeoning researchers are younger than others: In 2021, teenagers and preteens between the ages of 11 and 13 found such rare artifacts as a Bronze Age ax hoard, an ancient fertility amulet and a rare silver coin minted during the Great Revolt against Rome.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Dec. 2021
Archaeologists digging below Istanbul’s Yenikapı neighborhood uncovered more than a rich hoard of Byzantine shipwrecks.
—Jennifer Hattam, Discover Magazine, 22 July 2015
The entire hoard was covered with in 4,300 diamonds in total.
—Kate Brady, Washington Post, 16 May 2023
Jack Tamisiea, WIRED, 24 Sep. 2022
Other nations simply do not have the resources to do so, yet wealthy nations continue to hoard vaccines: the latest numbers show that approximately three-quarters of vaccines administered worldwide have been in high- and upper-middle income countries.
—CBS News, 6 Dec. 2021
Vax Live has two messages its performers and celebrity speakers preached throughout the night: Everyone in the U.S. should be getting a vaccine, and countries with more vaccines and resources must help other countries in need rather than hoard supplies.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 7 May 2021
Allowing companies to hoard patents—and charge extortionate rents for the right to produce life-saving green technology—stands to slow down a global energy transition, and potentially empower a new class of patent holders to dole out green energy only to those that can afford it.
—Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, 15 Apr. 2021
Consumers are hoarding cash and investors are wary of putting money into China’s companies.
—Claire Fu, New York Times, 19 June 2023
The special counsel attended the arraignment where Trump pleaded not guilty to illegally hoarding classified documents.
—Lindsay Whitehurst, ajc, 18 June 2023
As a refresher, the Justice Department last week unveiled charges against the former president for hoarding classified national security documents at his private residence in Florida and allegedly obstructing attempts to get them back.
—Brigid Kennedy, The Week, 16 June 2023
The White House has said Biden has had no contact with Attorney General Merrick Garland about the indictment by special counsel Jack Smith, which accuses Trump of illegally hoarding classified documents.
—David Bauder, Fortune, 15 June 2023
See More
Noun
In early November, Mr. Zhao announced Binance would sell its hoard of FTT tokens, a cryptocurrency created as part of FTX’s trading network.
—Paul Vigna, WSJ, 17 Nov. 2022
There, Karim organizes the unloading and stashing of the hoard and strides through the project’s broad central esplanade to its ramparts, where other activists are gathered—as the camera then flies out into open space and yields a panoramic view of the complex in revolt.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2022
Their property was indeed raided by the Met’s Arts and Antiquities Fraud squad in 2008, and a hoard of allegedly fake McLaren and Westwood garments and associated materials were seized, along with 120 counterfeit Banksy prints.
—New York Times, 8 Sep. 2021
The Mountain View, Calif., company, sitting on a $120 billion cash hoard, is unlikely to shrink from a legal fight.
—Brent Kendall and Rob Copeland, WSJ, 20 Oct. 2020
Yet even for a team well-represented across MLB's positional top-10 lists, one Astros All-Star appears under-appreciated by both national circles and even the hoards of die-hards across Houston.
—Michael Shapiro, Chron, 21 Feb. 2023
Some of these burgeoning researchers are younger than others: In 2021, teenagers and preteens between the ages of 11 and 13 found such rare artifacts as a Bronze Age ax hoard, an ancient fertility amulet and a rare silver coin minted during the Great Revolt against Rome.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Dec. 2021
Archaeologists digging below Istanbul’s Yenikapı neighborhood uncovered more than a rich hoard of Byzantine shipwrecks.
—Jennifer Hattam, Discover Magazine, 22 July 2015
The entire hoard was covered with in 4,300 diamonds in total.
—Kate Brady, Washington Post, 16 May 2023
Verb
Thanks to a relative dearth of environmental monitoring, the historical decline of these crucial marshes—which hoard carbon, provide nursery grounds for fish, and buffer the coast from storms—has largely been obscured, making restoration efforts little more than guesswork.
—Jack Tamisiea, WIRED, 24 Sep. 2022
Other nations simply do not have the resources to do so, yet wealthy nations continue to hoard vaccines: the latest numbers show that approximately three-quarters of vaccines administered worldwide have been in high- and upper-middle income countries.
—CBS News, 6 Dec. 2021
Vax Live has two messages its performers and celebrity speakers preached throughout the night: Everyone in the U.S. should be getting a vaccine, and countries with more vaccines and resources must help other countries in need rather than hoard supplies.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 7 May 2021
Allowing companies to hoard patents—and charge extortionate rents for the right to produce life-saving green technology—stands to slow down a global energy transition, and potentially empower a new class of patent holders to dole out green energy only to those that can afford it.
—Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, 15 Apr. 2021
Consumers are hoarding cash and investors are wary of putting money into China’s companies.
—Claire Fu, New York Times, 19 June 2023
The special counsel attended the arraignment where Trump pleaded not guilty to illegally hoarding classified documents.
—Lindsay Whitehurst, ajc, 18 June 2023
As a refresher, the Justice Department last week unveiled charges against the former president for hoarding classified national security documents at his private residence in Florida and allegedly obstructing attempts to get them back.
—Brigid Kennedy, The Week, 16 June 2023
The White House has said Biden has had no contact with Attorney General Merrick Garland about the indictment by special counsel Jack Smith, which accuses Trump of illegally hoarding classified documents.
—David Bauder, Fortune, 15 June 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 9 Jul. 2023.
Copy Citation
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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