swarm

views updated May 23 2018

swarm / swôrm/ • n. a large or dense group of insects, esp. flying ones. ∎  a large number of honeybees that leave a hive en masse with a newly fertilized queen in order to establish a new colony. ∎  (a swarm/swarms of) a large number of people or things: a swarm of journalists. ∎  a series of similar-sized earthquakes occurring together, typically near a volcano. ∎  Astron. a large number of minor celestial objects occurring together in space, esp. a dense shower of meteors.• v. 1. [intr.] (of insects) move in or form a swarm: [as adj.] (swarming) swarming locusts. ∎  (of honeybees, ants, or termites) issue from the nest in large numbers with a newly fertilized queen in order to found new colonies: the bees had swarmed and left the hive.2. [intr.] move somewhere in large numbers: protesters were swarming into the building. ∎  (swarm with) (of a place) be crowded or overrun with (moving people or things): the place was swarming with police.PHRASAL VERBS: swarm up climb (something) rapidly by gripping it with one's hands and feet, alternately hauling and pushing oneself upward: I swarmed up the mast.swarm2 • v. [intrans.] climb up or upon a pole, tree, or the like, by clasping it with the arms and legs alternately: pursued by a dog, a raccoon will swarm like lightning the object is to swarm up the flagpole in less than a minute [trans.] he swarmed the mast.

Swarm

views updated Jun 27 2018

Swarm

a large number of small animals or insects, usually in motion; throngs of people or things, sometimes of an irritating or annoying nature.

Examples : swarm of adders, 1569; of fair advantages, 1596; of the Anti-Christ, 1549; of ants; of bees, 1300; of bishops, 1553; of their demands, 1785; of dust, 1890; of eels; of fireflies, 1842; of flies, 1560; of folk, 1423; of footmen, 1542; of fowl, 1600; of fry, 1780; of gnatsBrewer ; of heretics, 1581; of hornets; of horsemen, 1542; of insects; of locusts, 1684; of meteorites; of ministers of Christ, 1685; of sins, 1582; of tiger, 1600; of vessels, 1698; of wasps.

swarm

views updated May 17 2018

swarm1 body of bees in a compact mass. OE. swearm = OS., MLG. swarm, OHG. swarm(a)m (G. schwarm), ON. svarmr :- Gmc. *swarmaz.
Hence swarm vb. gather in a swarm or dense crowd. XIV. Cf., with mutation, OE. swirman, *swierman = MLG., MDu. swermen, MHG. swärmen (G. schwärmen).

swarm

views updated Jun 27 2018

swarm2 climb up a pole, etc. XVI. of unkn. orig.