en masse

[ ahn mas, en; French ahn-mas ]
See synonyms for en masse on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. in a mass; all together; as a group: The people rushed to the gate en masse.

Origin of en masse

1
Borrowed into English from French around 1795–1805

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use en masse in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for en masse

en masse

/ (French ɑ̃ mas) /


adverb
  1. in a group, body, or mass; as a whole; all together

Origin of en masse

1
C19: from French

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for en masse

en masse

[ (ahn mas) ]


A French phrase meaning “in a large body”: “The protesters left en masse for the White House.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with en masse

en masse

In one group or body; all together. For example, The activists marched en masse to the capitol. This French term, with exactly the same meaning, was adopted into English about 1800.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.