crowding

verb

present participle of crowd
1
as in cramming
to fit (people or things) into a tight space crowded all the boats into the harbor before the storm struck

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in flocking
to move upon or fill (something) in great numbers cars crowded the roads over the long holiday weekend

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in huddling
to gather into a closely packed group everyone crowded around to see the baby being shown off by his proud parents

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of crowding By midsummer, this can be a problem with the root systems of each plant crowding each other. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 6 Aug. 2026 For example, Mordor Intelligence notes in its Smart Cities Market Report that Singapore’s Smart Nation AI initiative has trimmed average commute times by 11 minutes thanks to a 92% accurate bus-crowding prediction model. — Lee-Lean Shu, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 Some are fleeing by boat, sleeping in cars and crowding into emergency shelters as disaster spreads. — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 27 July 2026 But at least eight other Republicans are crowding into a primary just two weeks away. — ABC News, 26 July 2026 Videos from Bangladesh, especially the capital city of Dhaka, of fans crowding the streets and celebrating Argentina victories have been a regular feature on social media across the tournament. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 19 July 2026 Instead of crowding your entryway with a table, bench and coat rack, consider getting a piece that combines those elements, says Lynch. — Andee Tagle, NPR, 19 July 2026 His mind didn’t go blank; rather, all the what-ifs multiplied like exponents, crowding his thoughts and rendering him unable to envision anything else. — Min Jin Lee, New Yorker, 19 July 2026 The paved lot was built at the base of Fryman Canyon in 1998 to alleviate crowding and littering for wealthy Studio City neighbors whose streets were packed with cars. — Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crowding
  1. cramming
  2. flocking
  3. huddling
  4. squeezing
  5. invading
  6. piling
  7. loading
  8. swarming
Verb
  • The network had a two-way smuggling route between Algeria and Spain, transporting drugs to the African nation and cramming boats with migrants for the return trip to Spanish coastal towns, Spain’s Civil Guard said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The situation is also symptomatic of broader strains on the country's higher education system, where grossly limited spots leave millions cramming for months, or even years, and high-stakes entrance exams leave many of them burnt out and in debt.
    — Sakshi Dayal, USA Today, 22 July 2026
Definition of cramming
Verb
  • With summer in full swing, people are flocking to beaches for some fun in the sun and temperature relief.
    — Michelle Richardson, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • But that hasn’t stopped legit audiences from flocking to the song.
    — Klara Auerbach, Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of flocking
Verb
  • Meanwhile, Hochul visited the Buffalo Bills training camp, chatting with fans and huddling with the team.
    — Marcia Kramer, CBS News, 29 July 2026
  • After celebrating, a video posted by BBC Sport showed the Belgian squad huddling together to bask in their victory, before breaking out into dance.
    — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 20 July 2026
Definition of huddling
Verb
  • Washington is trying to choke Iran's ability to get its crude out while Tehran is squeezing the artery through which everybody else's crude gets through.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Chances are you answer emails while sitting in meetings, listen to podcasts while exercising, scroll your phone while standing in line and congratulate ourselves for squeezing more into every hour.
    — Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of squeezing
Verb
  • Wolverine frees Essex and races to the exit, but Essex musters enough psychic power to cause all of the invading soldiers to explode.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
  • On top of that, nature was always invading, and the property spread over 12 acres.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of invading
Verb
  • In other words, dollars committed are piling up more than four times faster than hardware coming off the line.
    — Frank Holmes, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • On this night of all nights, the youngsters at play aren’t just piling into Ubers like spoiled rich kids.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of piling
Verb
  • In response, Diez brought up Schaeffler’s plant in South Carolina, where Digit is working right now, loading greasy machine parts into an industrial washer.
    — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The Red Sox were limited to one run in the bottom of the 11th despite loading the bases with one out.
    — LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of loading
Verb
  • Brees alone didn’t easily dispose of the Cardinals, thanks to one of Reggie Bush’s most memorable NFL performances and a swarming Saints defense.
    — Larry Holder, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • But the company has already demonstrated such drone swarming capability during a live-fire combat exercise at a US military range at Camp Blanding in Florida.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of swarming

Browse Nearby Words

crowded
crowding
crowd-pleasing
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Cite this Entry

“Crowding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crowding. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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