flock
Use Flock in a sentence
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noun
1.
a number of animals of one kind, especially sheep, goats, or birds, that keep or feed together or are herded together.
2.
a large number of people; crowd.
3.
a large group of things: a flock of letters to answer.
4.
a.
the Christian church in relation to Christ.
b.
a single congregation in relation to its pastor.
5.
Archaic. a band or company of persons.
verb (used without object)
6.
to gather or go in a flock or crowd: They flocked around the football hero.
00:10
Flock
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
Origin:
before 1000; (noun) Middle English; Old English floc; cognate with Old Norse flokkr; (v.) Middle English, derivative of the noun
before 1000; (noun) Middle English; Old English floc; cognate with Old Norse flokkr; (v.) Middle English, derivative of the noun
Related forms
flock·less, adjective
Synonyms
1, 2. bevy, covey, flight, gaggle; brood, hatch, litter; shoal, school, swarm, group, company. Flock, drove, herd, pack refer to a company of animals, often under the care or guidance of someone. Flock is the popular term, which applies to groups of animals, especially of sheep or goats, and companies of birds: This lamb is the choicest of the flock. A flock of wild geese flew overhead. Drove is especially applied to a number of oxen, sheep, or swine when driven in a group: A drove of oxen was taken to market. A large drove of swine filled the roadway. Herd is usually applied to large animals such as cattle, originally meaning those under the charge of someone; but by extension, to other animals feeding or driven together: a buffalo herd; a herd of elephants. Pack applies to a number of animals kept together or keeping together for offense or defense: a pack of hounds kept for hunting; a pack of wolves. As applied to people, drove, herd and pack carry a contemptuous implication.
1, 2. bevy, covey, flight, gaggle; brood, hatch, litter; shoal, school, swarm, group, company. Flock, drove, herd, pack refer to a company of animals, often under the care or guidance of someone. Flock is the popular term, which applies to groups of animals, especially of sheep or goats, and companies of birds: This lamb is the choicest of the flock. A flock of wild geese flew overhead. Drove is especially applied to a number of oxen, sheep, or swine when driven in a group: A drove of oxen was taken to market. A large drove of swine filled the roadway. Herd is usually applied to large animals such as cattle, originally meaning those under the charge of someone; but by extension, to other animals feeding or driven together: a buffalo herd; a herd of elephants. Pack applies to a number of animals kept together or keeping together for offense or defense: a pack of hounds kept for hunting; a pack of wolves. As applied to people, drove, herd and pack carry a contemptuous implication.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
1.
a lock or tuft of wool, hair, cotton, etc.
2.
( sometimes used with a plural verb ) wool refuse, shearings of cloth, old cloth torn to pieces, or the like, for upholstering furniture, stuffing mattresses, etc.
3.
Also called flocking. ( sometimes used with a plural verb ) finely powdered wool, cloth, etc., used for producing a velvetlike pattern on wallpaper or cloth or for coating metal.
4.
floc ( def 1 ).
verb (used with object)
5.
to stuff with flock, as a mattress.
6.
to decorate or coat with flock, as wallpaper, cloth, or metal.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English flok < Old French floc < Latin floccus floccus. Compare Old High German floccho
1250–1300; Middle English flok < Old French floc < Latin floccus floccus. Compare Old High German floccho
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To flock
Collins
World English Dictionary
floccule, flocculus, flock or floc (ˈflɒkjuːl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a small aggregate of flocculent material |
| 2. | something resembling a tuft of wool |
| [C19: from Late Latin flocculus a little tuft; see | |
| flocculus, flocculus, flock or floc | |
| —n | |
| [C19: from Late Latin flocculus a little tuft; see | |
| flock, flocculus, flock or floc | |
| —n | |
| [C19: from Late Latin flocculus a little tuft; see | |
| floc, flocculus, flock or floc | |
| —n | |
| [C19: from Late Latin flocculus a little tuft; see | |
| flock1 (flɒk) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a group of animals of one kind, esp sheep or birds |
| 2. | a large number of people; crowd |
| 3. | a body of Christians regarded as the pastoral charge of a priest, a bishop, the pope, etc |
| 4. | rare a band of people; group |
| —vb | |
| 5. | to gather together or move in a flock |
| 6. | to go in large numbers: people flocked to the church |
| [Old English flocc; related to Old Norse flokkr crowd, Middle Low German vlocke] | |
| flock2 (flɒk) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a tuft, as of wool, hair, cotton, etc |
| 2. | a. waste from fabrics such as cotton, wool, or other cloth used for stuffing mattresses, upholstered chairs, etc |
| b. (as modifier): flock mattress | |
| 3. | very small tufts of wool applied to fabrics, wallpaper, etc, to give a raised pattern |
| 4. | another word for floccule |
| —vb | |
| 5. | (tr) to fill, cover, or ornament with flock |
| [C13: from Old French floc, from Latin floccus; probably related to Old High German floccho down, Norwegian flugsa snowflake] | |
| 'flocky2 | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
flock
O.E. flocc "a group of persons," related to O.N. flokkr "crowd, troop, band," M.L.G. vlocke "crowd, flock;" not found in other Gmc. languages, perhaps related to folc "people," but the metathesis would have been unusual for O.E. Extended c.1200 to "a number of animals of one kind moving or feeding together;"
of domestic animals c.1300. Transferred to bodies of Christians, in relation to Christ or their local pastor, from mid-14c. The verb meaning "to gather, congregate" is from c.1300. Related: Flocked; flocking.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Then he spread crumbs from a doughnut to gather a flock of pigeons.
Macaws vocalize to communicate within the flock, mark territory, and identify one another.
When they got to the lobby, they found a flock of fellow fatalities, but they were all brusquely turned away.
The first is the squawk and flapping of an immense flock of birds.
Images for flock
Nearby Words
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