Crowd Meaning
/ˈkɹaʊ̯d/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo press forward; to advance by pushing.
verbTo press together or collect in numbers.
Sentence Examples
The excited crowd poured out of the stadium.
His home run excited the crowd.
He pushed his way through the crowd.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The large ____ gathered outside the stadium cheered for the winning team.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The excited ____ poured out of the stadium.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English crouden, from Old English crūdan, from Proto-West Germanic *krūdan, from Proto-Germanic *krūdaną, *kreudaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *grewt- (“to push; press”). Cognate with German Low German kroden (“to push, shove”), Dutch kruien (“to push, shove”). (group of people, mob): Compare typologically throng (<<~ Proto-Germanic *þrinhwaną); Czech dav (akin to Russian дави́ть (davítʹ), да́вка (dávka)); Polish ciżba, ścisk (<~ ciskać, akin to ти́скать (tískatʹ)); Polish tłok, Russian толчея́ (tolčejá) (akin to толка́ть (tolkátʹ)).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[T]he whole company closed their ranks, and crowded about the fire."
— 1711 March 24 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “TUESDAY, March 14, 1710–1711”, in The Spectator, number 12; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume I, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC, page 141:
"Images came crowding on his mind faster than he could put them into words."
— 1911, Thomas Babington Macaulay, “Bunyan, John”, in 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica:
"[…]The Time (miſ-order’d) doth in common ſence / Crowd vs, and cruſh vs, to this monſtrous Forme, / To hold our ſafetie vp."
— c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii], page 91, column 1:
"The balconies and verandas were crowded with spectators, anxious to behold their future sovereign."
— 1875, William Hickling Prescott, History of the Reign of Philip the Second, King of Spain:
"Alexis's mementos and numerous dance trophies were starting to crowd her out of her little bedroom."
— 2006, Lanna Nakone, Every Child Has a Thinking Style, →ISBN, page 73:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The large ____ gathered outside the stadium cheered for the winning team.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The excited ____ poured out of the stadium.