A collective noun names a group as one unit: a pride of lions, a flock of sheep, a fleet of ships. This list gives the group names for 813 animals, people and things from A to Z, the everyday terms and the colorful old ones alike.
Everyday, traditional and playful
The table mixes everyday English (herd, flock, pack, swarm, school), words for particular settings, terms from the lists of group names drawn up for hunters and courtiers in 15th-century England, and later wordplay. A murder of crows and an exaltation of larks come from those old lists, the best known being The Book of St Albans of 1486. Playful coinages, such as a dazzle of zebras or a tower of giraffes, turn up in word lists far more than in speech; the table shows them in purple italics. Individual terms differ in origin and in how much they are used.
Reading the notes
Where a group has more than one word, the notes column tells them apart. The word lists tie several to what the group is doing: geese on the ground are a gaggle and in flight a skein, ducks on water are a paddling, and vultures are a venue when perched, a kettle when circling and a wake when feeding. Where two words mean the same, the note says so and names the one in everyday use. Type an animal, or a word such as “flight” or “perched”, in the search box.
Collective Nouns for Animals, People and Things
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A
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aardvarks | armory | — |
| Academics | faculty | Faculty for the teaching staff of a college or university, chiefly in American English; in Britain a faculty is also a division of a university. |
| Accountants | balance | — |
| Acrobats | troupe | — |
| Actors | company; troupe; cast | Company for a permanent theater group; troupe for a touring one; cast for the actors in one production. |
| Actuaries | table | — |
| Adders | sum | — |
| Administrators | network | — |
| Advisers | panel | Panel for advisers brought together to give expert advice. |
| Agents | deal | — |
| Aircraft | fleet; flight; squadron | Fleet for those one airline or owner operates; flight for a few flying together; squadron for a military unit. |
| Aircraft personnel | crew | Crew for the people who fly and serve on an aircraft. |
| Airplanes | flight; fleet | Flight for a few flying together; fleet for those one airline or owner operates. |
| Albatrosses | rookery | — |
| Aliens (from space) | attack | — |
| Alligators | congregation; bask | Congregation for a group gathered in water; bask for a group sunning on the bank. |
| Alpacas | herd | — |
| Ambassadors | delegation | — |
| Ambulances | fleet | — |
| Ammunition | cache | — |
| Amoebas | ooze | — |
| Anatomists | corps | — |
| Anesthetists | slumber | — |
| Angels | host; choir | Host for a great number, as in the heavenly host; choir for angels singing, and for the ranks of angels in Christian tradition. |
| Anglers | catch | — |
| Antelopes | herd; tribe | Herd is the everyday word; tribe means the same but is rarely used. |
| Ants | colony; army; swarm | Colony for those living in one nest; army for a marching column, as army ants; swarm for a flying mass at mating time. |
| Apartments | block | — |
| Apes | troop; shrewdness | Troop and shrewdness mean the same; troop is the one in everyday use. |
| Apple trees | orchard | — |
| Apples | bushel | — |
| Archer fish | company | — |
| Archers | company | — |
| Architects | rendering | — |
| Armadillos | roll | — |
| Armored cars | column | — |
| Arms (weapons) | arsenal; cache | Arsenal for a stock of arms, or the place where they are kept; cache for arms hidden away. |
| Arrows | sheaf; quiver | Sheaf for a bundle tied together; quiver for the case of arrows an archer carries. |
| Artillery | battery | — |
| Artists | colony | Colony for artists living and working together in one place. |
| Asparagus | bundle | — |
| Asses | herd; drove; pace | Herd for asses together; drove for asses being driven to market; pace means the same as herd. |
| Asteroids | belt | — |
| Astronauts | trajectory | — |
| Astronomers | galaxy | — |
| Athletes | team | — |
| Attendants | entourage | — |
| Auctioneers | hammer | — |
| Auks | flock | — |
| Authors | advance | — |
| Avocets | colony | — |
B
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Baboons | troop; congress | Troop and congress mean the same; troop is the word zoologists use. |
| Bacteria | culture; colony | Culture for those grown in a laboratory; colony for a cluster grown from a single cell. |
| Badgers | cete; colony | Colony and cete mean the same, a family sharing one set of burrows. |
| Bakers | aroma; tabernacle | Aroma and tabernacle mean the same. |
| Balloons | festival | — |
| Bananas | hand; bunch | Hand for one cluster of fruit on the stem; bunch for the whole stem, or for any group bought together. |
| Bankers | wunch | — |
| Barbers | babble | — |
| Barons | thought | — |
| Barracudas | battery | — |
| Bass | shoal; fleet | Shoal and fleet mean the same, a group swimming together. |
| Bats | colony; cloud | Colony for bats roosting together; cloud for a mass in flight. |
| Beads | string; strand | String for beads threaded together; strand for a single line of them, as in a necklace. |
| Bears | sloth; sleuth | Sloth and sleuth both appear in old lists of group names for bears; bears mostly live alone, so neither is everyday speech. |
| Beavers | colony; family; lodge | Colony or family for those sharing one home; lodge for the home itself and the beavers in it. |
| Bees | swarm; colony; hive; grist | Swarm for bees leaving to found a new home, and in honey bees the first swarm leaves with the old queen; colony for bees living together in one nest; hive for a colony kept in a beehive, or the beehive itself; grist means the same as swarm. |
| Beggars | fighting | — |
| Bells | peal; ring | Peal for bells rung in sequence, as in a church tower; ring for a full set hung together. |
| Bills (money) | wad | — |
| Birds | flock; flight; volery; congregation | Flock is the everyday word; flight for birds in the air; volery for birds kept in a large aviary; congregation means the same as flock. |
| Biscuits | batch | Batch for biscuits baked together. |
| Bishops | bench | — |
| Bison | herd; gang; obstinacy | Herd, gang and obstinacy mean the same; herd is the everyday word. |
| Bitterns | sedge; siege | Sedge and siege mean the same; sedge is the better known. |
| Bloodhounds | sute | — |
| Blossoms | flourish | — |
| Boars | sounder; herd; singular | Sounder for wild boars with their young; herd for any group; singular is an old hunting word of uncertain use. |
| Boats | fleet | — |
| Bobolinks | chain | — |
| Bombs | cluster | — |
| Bookkeepers | audit | — |
| Books | collection; library; set; stack | Collection for books gathered by a person or institution; library for a collection kept together for use; set for a matching series, such as an encyclopedia; stack for books piled one on another. |
| Bowls | set | — |
| Boxers | ring | — |
| Bread | batch | Batch: of loaves. |
| Brewers | feast | — |
| Brides | thrill | — |
| Bucks (deer) | herd | — |
| Budgerigars | flock; chatter | Flock is the everyday word; chatter for a noisy flock. |
| Buffalo | herd; gang; obstinacy | Herd, gang and obstinacy mean the same; herd is the everyday word. |
| Bullfinches | bellowing | — |
| Bullocks | drove | — |
| Bumblebees | colony | Colony for the bumblebees sharing one nest. |
| Bureaucrats | shuffle | — |
| Buses | fleet | — |
| Bushes | hedge | — |
| Bustards | flock | — |
| Butchers | goring | — |
| Butlers | draft | — |
| Butterflies | flight; flutter; rabble; kaleidoscope | Flight or flutter for butterflies on the wing; rabble and kaleidoscope for a mass of them gathered together. |
| Butterfly fish | school | — |
| Buzzards | wake | Wake for buzzards in the American sense, meaning vultures, gathered at a carcass; see Vultures. Elsewhere a buzzard is a kind of hawk. |
C
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cakes | batch | Batch for cakes baked together. |
| Camels | herd; caravan; flock | Herd or flock for camels grazing together; caravan for camels traveling in a line with riders or cargo. |
| Canaries | flock; opera | Flock is the everyday word; opera means the same. |
| Candidates | slate | — |
| Canyons | maze | — |
| Capitalists | syndicate | — |
| Cardinals (of the church) | college; conclave | College for the whole body of cardinals; conclave for the closed meeting that elects a pope. |
| Cards | deck; pack; hand | Deck in American usage and pack in British usage for a full set of playing cards; hand for the cards one player holds. |
| Caribou | herd | — |
| Carpenters | pound | — |
| Cars | fleet; convoy | Fleet for cars owned or run together, as by a company; convoy for cars traveling together. |
| Caterpillars | army | — |
| Cats | clowder; clutter; glaring | Clowder, clutter and glaring all mean adult cats together; clowder is the best known. For young cats see kittens. |
| Cattle | herd; drove | Herd for cattle grazing together; drove for cattle being driven on the move. |
| Cavalry | squadron | — |
| Cellists | parenthesis | — |
| Cellphones | babel | — |
| Chamois | herd | — |
| Cheerleaders | frenzy | — |
| Cheetahs | coalition | Coalition for a group of males, usually brothers, that live and hunt together. |
| Chefs | soupçon | — |
| Chemists | colloid | — |
| Cherries | bunch | Bunch for cherries joined on their stems or gathered together. |
| Chickens | flock; brood; peep | Flock for chickens kept together; brood for chicks with their hen; peep for a group of chicks. |
| Chicks | brood; peep | Brood for chicks from one hatching, usually with their mother; peep means the same. |
| Chimpanzees | troop; community; party; whoop | Troop is the everyday word; community for the whole group sharing one territory, the word researchers use; party for a smaller band that forms for a while within it; whoop means the same as troop. |
| Chinchillas | herd | — |
| Choughs | chattering; clattering | Chattering and clattering mean the same. |
| Churchgoers | congregation | — |
| Churls | cluster | — |
| Circuits | bank | — |
| Clams | bed | — |
| Clerks | school | — |
| Clothes | wardrobe; outfit; bundle | Wardrobe for all the clothes a person owns; outfit for clothes worn together; bundle for clothes tied or rolled together. |
| Clouds | soufflé | — |
| Clowns | pratfall | — |
| Coaches (buses) | fleet | — |
| Cobblers | drunkenship | — |
| Cobras | quiver | — |
| Cockatoos | flock; chattering | Flock is the everyday word; chattering means the same. |
| Cockroaches | intrusion | — |
| Coconuts | cluster | — |
| Cod | lap | — |
| Coins | collection; roll; hoard | Collection for coins kept by a collector; roll for coins wrapped in a paper tube, as banks pack them; hoard for a stock of coins hidden away, often found buried. |
| Colts | rag | — |
| Comedians | gaggle | — |
| Commuters | dash | — |
| Composers | chorus | — |
| Computer programmers | team; megabyte | Team for programmers working together; megabyte means the same. |
| Computers | cluster | — |
| Con artists | scam | — |
| Conies | bury | — |
| Construction workers | crew; piling | Crew for workers on one site or job; piling means the same. |
| Convicts | gang | — |
| Cookies | batch | Batch for cookies baked together. |
| Cooks | hastiness | — |
| Coots | covert; commotion | Covert and commotion mean the same. |
| Coral polyps | colony | Colony for polyps joined in one coral; some corals live alone. |
| Cormorants | flight; gulp | Flight for cormorants in the air; gulp for any group of cormorants. |
| Corn | sheaf | Sheaf for cut stalks of corn or other grain tied together, not loose kernels. |
| Cotton | bale | — |
| Courtiers | threatening | — |
| Cowboys | saunter | — |
| Cows | herd | — |
| Coyotes | band | — |
| Crabs | cast; consortium; scuttle | Cast, consortium and scuttle mean the same, crabs together. |
| Cranes | flock; siege; sedge; herd | Flock is the everyday word; siege, sedge and herd mean the same, siege the best known. |
| Cricketers | eleven | — |
| Crickets | orchestra | — |
| Critics | pan | — |
| Crocodiles | bask; float | Bask for crocodiles on land in the sun; float for crocodiles in the water. |
| Crows | murder; flock; horde; hover | Murder is the famous word and flock the one used in plain speech; horde and hover mean the same as murder. |
| Cubs | litter | — |
| Cups | set | Set for cups meant to be used together. |
| Curates | charge | — |
| Curlews | herd | — |
| Curs | cowardice | — |
| Customers | queue | Queue for customers waiting in line, chiefly British. |
| Cutlery | set; canteen | Set for knives, forks and spoons meant to be used together; canteen, chiefly British, for a boxed set and its case. |
| Cynics | bark | — |
D
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dancers | troupe; company | Troupe for a group that performs or tours together; company for an established dance company. |
| Debutantes | diffidence | — |
| Decorators | tantrum | — |
| Deer | herd; parcel; bevy | Herd is the everyday word; parcel means the same as herd; bevy for a group of roe deer. |
| Dentists | amalgam | — |
| Designers | team; subtlety | Team for designers working together; subtlety means the same. |
| Detectives | team | Team for detectives working one case. |
| Devils | legion | — |
| Diamonds | cluster | — |
| Dinosaurs | herd | — |
| Diplomats | corps; branle | Corps for all the diplomats posted to one capital, the diplomatic corps; branle means the same. |
| Directors | board | — |
| Doctors | team; doctrine | Team for doctors working together, as a medical team; doctrine means the same. |
| Documents | dossier; bundle | Dossier for documents gathered on one person or subject; bundle for documents held or tied together. |
| Dodos | extinction | — |
| Dogs | pack; kennel | Pack for dogs running or hunting together; kennel for dogs kept or bred together. |
| Dollars | fistful | — |
| Dolphins | pod; school | Pod and school are both used for dolphins together; size and makeup vary from species to species. |
| Donkeys | herd; drove; pace | Herd for donkeys together; drove for donkeys being driven; pace means the same as herd. |
| Dotterels | trip | — |
| Doves | flock; dule; pitying; bevy; flight | Flock is the everyday word; dule for doves, pitying for turtledoves, bevy for a small group of either; flight for doves in the air. |
| Dowagers | bevy | — |
| Dragons | flight | — |
| Drawers | chest | — |
| Drinks | round | — |
| Drones | swarm | Swarm for drones flying together as one coordinated group. |
| Drugs | cocktail | — |
| Drummers | roll | — |
| Ducklings | brood; fleet | Brood for ducklings hatched together; fleet means the same. |
| Ducks | flock; raft; team; paddling; brace | Flock is the everyday word; raft for a large group floating together; team for ducks in flight; paddling for ducks swimming on the water; brace for a pair. |
| Dunbirds | flight | — |
| Dunces | confederacy | — |
| Dunlins | fling; flight | Fling and flight mean the same. |
E
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Eagles | convocation; aerie | Convocation for eagles gathered together; aerie for the nest and the eagles in it. |
| Earthquakes | swarm | — |
| Economists | deficit | — |
| Editors | staff; erudition | Staff for the editors of one publication; erudition means the same. |
| Eels | swarm; bed | Swarm for eels moving together; bed for eels resting in mud. |
| Eggs | clutch; dozen | Clutch for the eggs a bird lays at one time; dozen is simply the number twelve. |
| Eland | herd | — |
| Electors | college | — |
| Electricians | grid | — |
| Elephants | herd; parade | Herd and parade mean the same; herd is the everyday word. |
| Elk | herd; gang | Herd is the everyday word; gang means the same but is rarely used. |
| Elves | drove | — |
| Employees | staff | — |
| Emus | mob | — |
| Engineers | team; design | Team for engineers working together; design means the same. |
| Environmentalists | vigilance | — |
| Epidemiologists | cohort | — |
| Equestrians | prance | — |
| Errors | comedy | — |
| Events | series; chain | Series for related events coming one after another; chain for events in which each leads to the next. |
| Exams | series | — |
| Executives | board | — |
| Experts | panel | — |
F
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fairies | herd | — |
| Falcons | cast | Cast for a pair of falcons, as falconers count them. |
| Fans | thrill | — |
| Fencers | poke | — |
| Ferrets | business | — |
| Figure skaters | axel | — |
| Film workers | crew | Crew for the people who work behind the camera on a film. |
| Finches | flock; charm | Flock is the everyday word; charm means the same. |
| Firefighters | crew; pluck | Crew for firefighters on one engine or shift; pluck means the same. |
| Fireflies | conflagration | — |
| Firewood | bundle; fagot | Bundle for pieces of firewood tied together; fagot is the older word for a bundle of sticks tied for fuel. |
| Fireworks | exultation | — |
| Fish | school; shoal | Shoal for any group of fish staying together; school for a shoal swimming in the same direction in step. |
| Fishermen | drift | — |
| Flags | bunting | — |
| Flamingos | flamboyance; stand | Flamboyance for any group of flamingos, the popular word; stand for flamingos standing together. |
| Flats (apartments) | block | — |
| Flies | swarm; business; grist | Swarm is the everyday word; business and grist mean the same as swarm. |
| Florists | bouquet | — |
| Flowers | bouquet; bunch | Bouquet for an arranged gift; bunch for flowers simply gathered or sold together. |
| Flutists | flutter | — |
| Fools | company | — |
| Football players | team | — |
| Foresters | stalk | — |
| Foxes | skulk; earth; leash | Skulk for foxes together; earth for a fox den and the foxes in it; leash for three foxes, as hunters once counted them. |
| Friars | skulk | — |
| Friends | circle | — |
| Frogs | army; colony | Army for any group of frogs; colony for frogs breeding in one pond. |
| Fruit | basket | — |
| Fungi | colony | — |
| Furniture | suite | — |
G
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gamblers | roll | — |
| Gangsters | mob | — |
| Garbage | pile; heap | Pile and heap are interchangeable. |
| Gardeners | sprinkling | — |
| Geese | flock; gaggle; skein; wedge; team; plump; nide | Flock is the everyday word; gaggle for geese on the ground or water; skein, wedge or team for geese in flight; plump and nide mean the same as gaggle. |
| Geldings | clipping | — |
| Genealogists | tree | — |
| Generals | glitter | — |
| Geneticists | helix | — |
| Geologists | conglomerate | — |
| Gerbils | horde | — |
| Ghosts | fright | — |
| Giraffes | herd; journey; tower | Herd is the everyday word; journey is the word lists give for giraffes on the move; tower means the same as herd. |
| Glasses | set | Set for drinking glasses meant to be used together. |
| Glaziers | crash | — |
| Gnats | swarm; cloud; horde | Swarm for gnats flying together; cloud for a dense hovering mass; horde means the same as swarm. |
| Gnus | herd | — |
| Goats | herd; flock; tribe; trip | Herd and flock are both everyday words; tribe and trip mean the same as herd. |
| Gods | pantheon | — |
| Gold | hoard | — |
| Goldfinches | charm; flock | Charm is the well-known word; flock is the one used in plain speech. |
| Goldfish | shoal; troubling; glint | Shoal for goldfish together; troubling and glint mean the same as shoal. |
| Golf carts | skitter | — |
| Golf clubs | set | — |
| Golfers | lie | — |
| Gorillas | troop; band | Troop and band mean the same, a family group around an adult male; troop is the more common word. |
| Goshawks | flight | — |
| Goslings | brood | Brood for goslings hatched together. |
| Gossips | dish | — |
| Gourmets | delicatessen | — |
| Governesses | galaxy | — |
| Governors | board | Board for governors who run an institution, as a board of governors. |
| Graduates | cohort | Cohort for those who graduated in the same year or program. |
| Grammarians | conjunction | — |
| Grandparents | wisdom | — |
| Grapes | bunch; cluster | Bunch for grapes on one stem; cluster is the same thing in botanical terms. |
| Grass | tuft | — |
| Grasshoppers | cloud | — |
| Greyhounds | brace; leash | Brace for two; leash for three, as hunters once counted them. |
| Griffins | pride | — |
| Grouse | covey; pack; brood | Covey for a family group; pack for a larger gathering in late season; brood for the young of one hatching. |
| Guinea pigs | herd | — |
| Guitarists | fret | — |
| Gulls | colony; squabble | Colony for gulls nesting together; squabble for a noisy group. |
| Gunfire | hail | — |
| Guns | battery | Battery: artillery. |
| Gymnasts | tumbler | — |
H
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hackers | cruft | — |
| Hair | lock | — |
| Hairdressers | pouf | — |
| Hamsters | horde | — |
| Hares | drove; down; husk | Drove, down and husk mean the same; drove is the plain word. |
| Harpists | melody | — |
| Harts | herd | — |
| Hawks | kettle; cast; boil | Kettle or boil for hawks circling on rising air; cast for a pair of hawks, as falconers count them. |
| Hay | bale; truss | Bale for a compressed modern block; truss for an older measure of bound hay. |
| Hedgehogs | array; prickle | Array and prickle mean the same. |
| Helicopters | hover | — |
| Hens | flock; brood | Flock for hens kept together; brood for a hen with the chicks of one hatching. |
| Hermits | observance | — |
| Herons | siege; sedge | Siege and sedge mean the same; siege is the better known. |
| Herring | shoal; army; glean | Shoal, army and glean mean the same; shoal is the everyday word. |
| Hides | dicker | Dicker: a set of ten. |
| Hills | range | — |
| Hinds | parcel | — |
| Hippopotamuses | pod; herd; bloat | Pod, herd and bloat mean the same, hippos in the water together. |
| Historians | argumentation | — |
| Hogs | sounder | — |
| Hornets | nest; colony | Nest for a hornet nest and the hornets in it; colony for the hornets living together. |
| Horsemen | cavalcade | — |
| Horses | herd; team; string; harras | Herd for horses grazing together; team for horses harnessed together; string for racehorses kept by one owner; harras for a stud of breeding horses. |
| Hostlers | laughter | — |
| Hotels | chain | Chain for hotels under one owner or brand. |
| Hounds | pack; mute; cry | Pack is the everyday word for hunting hounds; mute and cry mean the same as pack. |
| Hummingbirds | charm; bouquet | Charm and bouquet mean the same. |
| Hunters | blast | — |
| Hyenas | clan; cackle | Clan and cackle mean the same; clan is the word researchers use. |
I
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ibex | herd | — |
| Ibises | colony | — |
| Ice cream trucks | chime | — |
| Ichthyologists | scale | — |
| Ideas | floodlight | — |
| Iguanas | mess | — |
| Impalas | herd; couple | Herd for impalas together; couple means the same. |
| Impressionists | blur | — |
| Information | wealth | — |
| Insects | swarm | — |
| Interviewers | panel | Panel for interviewers questioning a candidate together. |
| Islands | archipelago; chain | Archipelago for a whole group of islands in one sea; chain for islands in a line. |
J
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jackdaws | clattering; band | Clattering and band mean the same. |
| Jaguars | prowl | — |
| Jays | party; scold; band | Party is the usual word; scold and band mean the same as party. |
| Jellyfish | bloom; smack; fluther | Bloom for a sudden mass of jellyfish in the sea, the word marine scientists use; smack and fluther mean jellyfish together in general. |
| Jets | fleet | — |
| Jewelers | ring | — |
| Jewelry | cache | — |
| Jockeys | race | — |
| Joggers | wheeze | — |
| Journalists | corps; scoop | Corps for journalists covering the same beat, as the White House press corps; scoop means the same. |
| Judges | bench; panel | Bench for the judges of a court, or judges as a profession; panel for judges chosen to hear one case or judge one contest. |
| Jugglers | neverthriving | — |
| Jurors | jury | — |
K
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kangaroos | mob; troop; court | Mob is the everyday Australian word; troop and court mean the same as mob. |
| Kestrels | hover | — |
| Keys | bunch; ring; set | Bunch for keys gathered together; ring for keys held on one ring; set for keys that open the same locks, as a house set. |
| Kids | caper | — |
| Kingfishers | realm | — |
| Kittens | litter; kindle | Litter and kindle mean the same, kittens born together. |
| Knaves | riffraff | — |
| Knights | banner | — |
L
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Laborers | gang | — |
| Ladies | bevy | — |
| Ladybugs | loveliness | — |
| Lambs | fall | — |
| Lapwings | deceit; desert | Deceit and desert mean the same. |
| Larks | exaltation; flock | Exaltation is the famous word; flock is the one used in plain speech. |
| Lawyers | huddle; eloquence | Huddle and eloquence mean the same. |
| Lectures | series | Series for lectures planned as a sequence. |
| Lemurs | troop; conspiracy | Troop and conspiracy mean the same; troop is the word researchers use. |
| Leopards | leap | — |
| Letters | bundle; budget | Bundle for letters tied or held together; budget means the same, from an old word for a pouch. |
| Letters (of the alphabet) | alphabet | Alphabet for the full ordered set of letters of a language. |
| Leverets | kindle | — |
| Librarians | catalog | — |
| Lice | colony | — |
| Lies | pack; tissue | Pack, as in a pack of lies, is the common idiom; tissue, as in a tissue of lies, is more literary. |
| Linguists | babble | — |
| Lions | pride; sault; troop | Pride is the everyday word; sault and troop mean the same as pride. |
| Listeners | audience | — |
| Lizards | lounge | — |
| Llamas | herd | — |
| Loaves | batch | — |
| Lobbyists | buttonhole | — |
| Lobsters | risk | — |
| Locksmiths | sesame | — |
| Locusts | swarm; plague; cloud | Swarm for a mass in flight; plague for a swarm destroying crops; cloud for the sight of one in the sky. |
| Lovebirds | pair | — |
| Luggage | odyssey | — |
| Lutists | litany | — |
| Lynx | chain | — |
| Lyricists | bridge | — |
M
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Machine guns | nest | — |
| Mackerel | shoal | — |
| Magazines | labyrinth | — |
| Magicians | illusion | — |
| Magistrates | bench | — |
| Magpies | tiding; mischief | Tiding and mischief mean the same. |
| Maidens | rage | — |
| Mail carriers | round | — |
| Mallards | sord; sute | Sord for mallards in flight; sute means the same. |
| Malls | sprawl | — |
| Manicurists | file | — |
| Maps | atlas | — |
| Mares | stud | — |
| Marines | muscle | — |
| Martens | richness | — |
| Masseurs | pummel | — |
| Matadors | pavane | — |
| Matches | book | — |
| Mathematicians | number | — |
| Mechanics | clutch | — |
| Mediators | compromise | — |
| Meerkats | mob; gang; clan | Mob and gang are the usual words; clan means the same. |
| Members | committee; council | Committee for members chosen to do a particular job or make decisions; council for members of an elected or advisory governing body. |
| Merchants | faith | — |
| Merlins | cast | Cast for a pair of merlins, as falconers count them. |
| Messengers | diligence | — |
| Metallurgists | amalgamation | — |
| Meteorologists | shower | — |
| Mice | nest; mischief | Nest for mice living together; mischief means the same for any group of mice. |
| Microbiologists | culture | — |
| Midges | swarm; bite | Swarm for midges flying together, as in a mating swarm; bite means the same. |
| Midwives | expectation | — |
| Millionaires | wealth | — |
| Ministers (of a government) | cabinet | — |
| Ministers (of religion) | clergy | Clergy for priests and ministers as a body. |
| Minks | richness | — |
| Minnows | stream | — |
| Mockingbirds | impression | — |
| Models | slouch | — |
| Moles | labor; company | Labor and company mean the same; moles mostly live alone. |
| Money | wad | — |
| Mongooses | band | — |
| Mongrels | ménage | — |
| Monitors (screens) | bank | — |
| Monkeys | troop; barrel | Troop and barrel mean the same; troop is the word researchers use. |
| Monks | community; abominable sight | Community for monks living under one rule; abominable sight is old wordplay from medieval lists. |
| Monsters | bestiary | A bestiary is a book describing creatures real or imagined, borrowed for monsters. |
| Moorhens | plump | — |
| Moose | herd | — |
| Morticians | slab | — |
| Mosquitoes | swarm; scourge | Swarm and scourge mean the same; swarm is the everyday word. |
| Motorcyclists | clutch | — |
| Mountaineers | uprising | — |
| Mountains | range; chain | Range for mountains forming one connected system; chain for mountains in a long line. |
| Mourners | cortege | — |
| Mules | span; barren | Span for a pair or team harnessed together; barren for mules together. |
| Mushrooms | troop | — |
| Musicians | band; orchestra; ensemble | Band for groups such as rock, jazz, brass or marching bands; orchestra for a large group with strings, usually classical; ensemble for any group of musicians performing together. |
| Mussels | bed | — |
N
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Narwhals | blessing | — |
| Nations | league | — |
| Nerves | bundle | — |
| Nestlings | brood | — |
| Neurologists | synapse | — |
| Newscasters | veneer | — |
| Newspapers | stack; bundle | Stack for newspapers piled up; bundle for newspapers tied together, as for delivery. |
| Newts | armada | — |
| Nightingales | watch | — |
| Noises | gallimaufry | — |
| Notes (money) | wad | — |
| Numbers | set | — |
| Nuns | community; convent; superfluity | Community for nuns living under one rule; convent for that community or the house it lives in; superfluity is old wordplay from medieval lists. |
| Nurses | staff; team | Staff for the nurses employed at one hospital or clinic; team for nurses working together, as on a ward. |
O
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Oarsmen | row | — |
| Objects | collection | — |
| Oboists | plaint | — |
| Obstetricians | gestation | — |
| Octopuses | consortium | — |
| Officers | mess | Mess for military officers who eat together, and for the room where they dine; not used for officers in general. |
| Onions | rope | — |
| Onlookers | crowd | — |
| Ophthalmologists | spectacle | — |
| Optometrists | vision | — |
| Orangutans | buffoonery | — |
| Orators | podium | — |
| Orchids | coterie | — |
| Orthodontists | brace | — |
| Orthopedists | cast | — |
| Osteopaths | joint | — |
| Ostriches | flock | — |
| Otologists | herd | — |
| Otters | romp; raft; bevy | Romp for otters on land; raft for otters floating together in water; bevy for any group. |
| Owls | parliament; stare | Parliament is the famous word; stare means the same; owls mostly live alone. |
| Oxbirds | fling | — |
| Oxen | team; herd; yoke; drove | Team for oxen harnessed together; herd or drove for oxen grazing or being driven; yoke for a pair joined at the neck. |
| Oysters | bed; reef | Bed for oysters on the seabed; reef for a large bed built up over years. |
P
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Painters | illusion; misbelief | Illusion and misbelief mean the same. |
| Paisleys | swirl | — |
| Palindromes | tenet | — |
| Pandas | embarrassment | — |
| Paparazzi | flash | — |
| Paper | ream; sheaf | Ream for 500 sheets; sheaf for loose sheets held together. |
| Paratroopers | storm | — |
| Pardoners | lying | — |
| Parents | persistence | — |
| Parishioners | congregation; kneeling | Congregation for parishioners gathered for worship; kneeling means the same. |
| Parking attendants | lot | — |
| Parrots | flock; company; pandemonium | Flock is the everyday word; company and pandemonium mean the same as flock. |
| Partridges | covey | — |
| Pathologists | body | — |
| Patients | cohort; virtue | Cohort for patients grouped together in a medical study; virtue, a pun on patience, means any group of patients. |
| Peafowl | muster; ostentation; pride | Muster, ostentation and pride all mean peafowl together; the males alone are peacocks. |
| Pearls | string; strand; rope | String or strand for pearls threaded together; rope for a long strand. |
| Peas | pod | — |
| Peasants | toil | — |
| Pediatricians | howl; shot | Howl and shot mean the same. |
| Pelicans | pod; squadron; colony | Pod or squadron for pelicans flying or fishing together; colony for pelicans nesting together. |
| Penguins | colony; waddle; raft; rookery; tuxedo | Colony or rookery for penguins breeding together; waddle for penguins on land; raft for penguins in the water; tuxedo means the same as colony. |
| People | crowd; group; queue; assembly | Crowd for many people gathered in one place; group for any number together; queue for people waiting in line, chiefly British; assembly for people gathered for a purpose, such as a meeting. |
| People living together | household | Household for the people who live in one home. |
| Perch | shoal; pack | Shoal for perch together; pack means the same. |
| Percussionists | meter | — |
| Peregrines | cadge | A cadge is the frame falconers carry hawks on, borrowed for peregrines; for wild birds, say a group of peregrines. |
| Performers | troupe | — |
| Pharmacists | tincture | — |
| Pheasants | bouquet; nye; nide | Bouquet for pheasants flushed together by beaters; nye and nide for a brood. |
| Philatelists | stampede | — |
| Philosophers | ponder | — |
| Photographers | snap | — |
| Photographs | album; collection | Album for photographs kept in a book; collection for any set gathered together. |
| Physicians | college | — |
| Physicists | nucleus | — |
| Pianists | pound | — |
| Pictures | collection; portfolio | Collection for artworks or images gathered together; portfolio for an artist’s set of work, or pictures kept in a folder. |
| Pigeons | flock; kit | Flock is the everyday word; kit for pigeons flying together. |
| Piglets | litter; farrow | Litter for piglets born together; farrow is the farm word for the same. |
| Pigs | herd; drove; sounder; drift | Herd or drift for pigs together; drove for pigs being driven; sounder for wild pigs. |
| Pilchards | shoal | — |
| Pilots | yoke | — |
| Pintails | knob | — |
| Pipers | poverty | — |
| Pirates | band | — |
| Plants | collection; stand; nursery | Collection for plants gathered or grown by one owner; stand for plants growing together, especially tall ones; nursery for a place where young plants are raised or sold, and the plants in it. |
| Plates | set | Set for plates meant to be used together. |
| Players (in a sport) | team; squad | Team for the side that plays; squad for the wider group picked, reserves included. |
| Plays | repertoire | Repertoire for the plays a theater company can stage. |
| Plovers | congregation; wing; stand | Congregation for plovers on the ground; wing for plovers in flight; stand means the same as congregation. |
| Plumbers | flush | — |
| Plums | basket | — |
| Pochards | rush; flight; bunch; knob | Rush, flight, bunch and knob mean the same. |
| Poems | collection; anthology | Collection for poems gathered together, often by one poet; anthology for poems by various poets in one book. |
| Poets | iamb | — |
| Poker players | stud | — |
| Polar bears | aurora | — |
| Polecats | chine | — |
| Police | force; squad; posse | Force for a whole police organization, as the city police force; squad for a specialist unit, such as the drug squad; posse for a band gathered to help in a search or chase. |
| Politicians | equivocation | — |
| Ponies | herd; string | Herd for ponies living or moving together; string for ponies one owner keeps for riding or racing. |
| Poodles | salon | — |
| Porcupines | prickle | — |
| Porpoises | school; pod; gam | School, pod and gam mean the same, porpoises together. |
| Porters | grip | — |
| Possums | passel | — |
| Potholes | whiplash | — |
| Pottage | mess | Mess for a serving of pottage, as in the old phrase a mess of pottage; a portion rather than a group. |
| Potters | wheel | — |
| Poultry | flock; run | Flock for poultry kept together; run for the birds in one fenced enclosure, itself also called a run. |
| Prairie dogs | coterie | — |
| Preachers | converting | — |
| Priests | discretion | — |
| Prima donnas | spite | — |
| Princes | state | — |
| Princesses | royalty | — |
| Producers | panic | — |
| Professors | faculty; tenure | Faculty for the professors of one college or university; tenure means the same. |
| Proofreaders | squint | — |
| Psychoanalysts | dream | — |
| Psychologists | complex | — |
| Ptarmigans | covey; parliament | Covey and parliament mean the same; covey is the usual word. |
| Puddles | splash | — |
| Puffins | colony; raft | Colony for puffins nesting together; raft for puffins floating together on the sea. |
| Pugs | grumble | — |
| Pumas | prowl | — |
| Puns | groan | — |
| Puppies | litter | — |
Q
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Quail | covey; bevy | Covey and bevy mean the same; covey is the everyday word. |
| Quakers | meeting | — |
| Quarterbacks | sack | — |
R
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rabbits | colony; warren; nest | Colony for wild rabbits living together; warren for the burrows and the rabbits in them; nest for a litter of young. |
| Raccoons | nursery; gaze | Nursery for a mother with her young; gaze for any group. |
| Racehorses | string; field | String for the horses one stable trains; field for the horses running in one race. |
| Radiologists | scan | — |
| Rags | bundle | — |
| Rats | colony; pack; plague; mischief | Colony or pack for rats living together; plague for a destructive mass; mischief means the same as colony. |
| Rattlesnakes | rhumba | — |
| Ravens | unkindness; flock; conspiracy | Unkindness is the famous word and flock the one used in plain speech; conspiracy means the same as unkindness. |
| Realtors | lot | — |
| Redwings | crowd | — |
| Reeds | clump | — |
| Reindeer | herd | — |
| Relatives | family; clan | Family for relatives as a whole; clan for a large extended family, especially one sharing a surname or ancestor. |
| Reporters | corps; scoop | Corps for reporters covering the same beat, as the press corps; scoop means the same. |
| Representatives | delegation | Delegation for representatives sent to speak or act for a group. |
| Researchers | team | Team for researchers working together on a project. |
| Residents | community | Community for the people living in one place. |
| Restaurants | chain | Chain for restaurants under one owner or brand. |
| Reviewers | panel | Panel for reviewers chosen to assess the same work. |
| Rhinoceroses | crash; herd | Crash is the well-known word; herd means the same, though rhinos mostly live alone or in small groups. |
| Riches | embarrassment | — |
| Rioters | melee | — |
| Robbers | band | — |
| Robins | worm | — |
| Robots | cog | — |
| Roe deer | bevy | — |
| Rooks | rookery; parliament; building; clamor | Rookery for a colony of nesting rooks or the trees they nest in; parliament, building and clamor are older words for rooks together. |
| Rooms | suite | — |
| Roses | bouquet; bunch | Bouquet for roses arranged as a gift; bunch for any gathered handful. |
| Ruffs | hill | — |
| Ruins | heap | — |
| Rules | set | Set for rules taken together. |
| Runners | field | — |
S
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sailors | crew | — |
| Saints | calendar | — |
| Salesmen | sample | — |
| Salmon | run; bind | Run for salmon migrating upriver to spawn; bind for salmon together. |
| Sand | heap | — |
| Sandpipers | fling | — |
| Sardines | shoal; school; family | Shoal for sardines together; school when they swim as one in the same direction, though everyday English uses the two alike; family implies no kinship. |
| Scholars | brow | — |
| Scientists | team | Team for scientists working together on a project. |
| Scouts | troop | Troop for a local unit of Scouts. |
| Sea horses | herd | — |
| Seagulls | flock | — |
| Seals | colony; pod; herd; rookery; harem | Colony, pod or herd for seals together, on land or at sea; rookery for a breeding colony or the beach it uses; harem for a breeding male with his females, in species that form them. |
| Seismologists | quake | — |
| Senators | senate; house | Senate for the senators of a legislature as a body; house means the same. |
| Servants | staff; obeisance | Staff for the servants of one household; obeisance means the same. |
| Shad | shoal | — |
| Sharks | school; frenzy; shiver | School for sharks swimming together; frenzy describes sharks feeding wildly, as in a feeding frenzy, rather than naming a group; shiver means the same as school. |
| Sheep | flock; herd; drove; fold | Flock is the everyday word; herd means the same but is less common; drove for sheep being driven; fold for sheep penned together. |
| Sheldrakes | dopping | — |
| Shells (artillery) | salvo | — |
| Sheriffs | posse | Posse for the band of people a sheriff calls up to help in a chase or search; used loosely for sheriffs and their helpers together. In plain prose, a group of sheriffs. |
| Ships | fleet; flotilla | Fleet for a large group, especially a navy; flotilla for a small fleet. |
| Shoppers | crush | — |
| Shopping carts | samba | — |
| Shops | chain | Chain for shops under one owner or brand. |
| Short stories | collection | Collection for stories gathered together, usually in one book. |
| Silk | skein | — |
| Similes | superfluity | — |
| Singers | choir; chorus | Choir for singers in a church or formal group; chorus for singers in a show or opera. |
| Sirens (mythical) | wail | — |
| Skunks | stench | — |
| Sloths | slumber | — |
| Slugs | cornucopia | — |
| Snails | rout; escargatoire | Rout and escargatoire mean the same; escargatoire comes from the French for snail. |
| Snakes | nest; den; bed | Nest for snakes coiled together; den for snakes wintering in one place; bed means the same as nest. |
| Snipe | wisp; walk | Wisp for snipe in flight; walk for snipe on the ground. |
| Snow | blanket | — |
| Software | suite; crash | Suite for related programs sold or used together, as an office suite; crash means the same. |
| Soldiers | army; troop; company; regiment; platoon; squad; battalion; brigade; corps; garrison | Army for a country’s land forces or a large field formation; troop for a unit, especially of cavalry or artillery, while the plural troops means soldiers in general; squad, platoon, company, battalion, regiment, brigade and corps are units of broadly rising size that vary between armies; garrison for soldiers stationed in a town or fort. |
| Songs | repertoire | Repertoire for the songs a singer or band can perform. |
| Sopranos | sweetness | — |
| Sparrows | host; quarrel | Host for sparrows together; quarrel for a noisy group. |
| Spectators | crowd; audience | Crowd for people gathered at an event; audience for people watching a show. |
| Spiders | cluster; clutter | Cluster and clutter mean the same; spiders rarely gather. |
| Spies | duplicity | — |
| Squid | shoal; school | Shoal or school, as with fish. |
| Squirrels | scurry; drey | Scurry for squirrels together; drey, also spelled dray, for a squirrel nest and the squirrels in it. |
| Stairs | flight | — |
| Stamps | collection; album | Collection for stamps gathered by a collector; album for the book they are kept in, and the stamps it holds. |
| Standards | set | Set for related standards taken together. |
| Starfish | galaxy | — |
| Starlings | murmuration; chattering | Murmuration for the huge swirling flocks seen at dusk; chattering for a noisy group. |
| Stars | constellation; cluster; galaxy; asterism | Constellation for a named pattern of stars, and in modern astronomy one of 88 official regions of the sky; asterism for a familiar pattern that is not a constellation, such as the Big Dipper; cluster for stars bound together by gravity; galaxy for a vast system of stars. |
| Statisticians | number | — |
| Steps | flight | — |
| Sticklebacks | shoal; spread | Shoal for sticklebacks together; spread means the same. |
| Sticks | bundle; fagot | Bundle for sticks tied together; fagot is the older word for a bundle of sticks tied for fuel. |
| Stingrays | fever | — |
| Stoats | pack | — |
| Stockbrokers | portfolio | — |
| Storks | muster | — |
| Strawberries | punnet | — |
| Students | class; cohort; batch | Class for students taught together; cohort for students who start or follow a program at the same time; batch for students taught together, chiefly in Indian English. |
| Submarines | pack | — |
| Suitors | swarm | — |
| Summoners | untruth | — |
| Surfers | wave | — |
| Surgeons | stitch | — |
| Surveyors | chain | — |
| Swallows | flight; gulp | Flight for swallows in the air; gulp for any group of swallows. |
| Swans | flock; bevy; game; wedge; herd | Flock is the everyday word; bevy and game for swans on the water; wedge for swans flying in a V; herd means the same as flock but is rarely used. |
| Swifts | flock | — |
| Swimmers | raft | — |
| Swindlers | scheme | — |
| Swine | sounder | — |
| Swordfish | flotilla | — |
| Sycophants | gush | — |
T
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tailors | disguising | — |
| Tanks | column; clank | Column for tanks moving in a line; clank for tanks together. |
| Tapirs | candle | — |
| Tapsters | promise | — |
| Tasks | agenda | Agenda for matters to be dealt with, as at a meeting; for tasks in general, say a list or set of tasks. |
| Teachers | staff; faculty | Staff for the teachers of one school; faculty for those of a college or university, and in American English sometimes of a school. |
| Teal | spring; bunch; knob | Spring, bunch and knob mean the same. |
| Technicians | corps | Corps for technicians working as one organized body. |
| Teddy bears | hug | — |
| Termites | colony | — |
| Terriers | terror | — |
| Tests | battery | — |
| Texts | corpus | Corpus for a body of writing or speech gathered for study. |
| Thieves | gang; den; skulk | Gang for thieves working together; den for their hideout and the thieves in it; skulk means the same as gang. |
| Things | bunch | — |
| Thrushes | mutation | — |
| Tigers | streak; ambush | Streak and ambush mean the same; tigers mostly live alone. |
| Toads | knot; knab | Knot and knab mean the same, toads gathered to breed. |
| Tools | kit; set | Kit for the tools for one job carried together; set for matching tools sold together. |
| Tortoises | creep | — |
| Toucans | durante | — |
| Tourists | flock | — |
| Trash | heap | — |
| Treasure | trove | — |
| Trees | grove; forest; copse; clump; stand | Grove for a small group planted or growing together; copse for a small wood; forest for a large wooded area; clump for a few growing close; stand for trees growing together, often of one kind or age. |
| Troubles | sea | — |
| Trout | hover | — |
| Trucks | convoy; fleet | Convoy for trucks traveling together; fleet for trucks owned by one company. |
| Trumpets | flourish | — |
| Trustees | board | — |
| Tuba players | tumult | — |
| Tuna | float | — |
| Turkeys | flock; rafter; gang; raffle | Flock is the everyday word; rafter, gang and raffle mean the same as flock. |
| Turtles | bale; dole; turn | Bale, dole and turn mean the same; bale is the best known. |
U
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Umbrellas | phalanx | — |
| Umpires | panel | — |
| Undertakers | unction | — |
| Unicorns | blessing | — |
| Ushers | seat | — |
| Utensils | set | — |
V
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vacationers | peel | — |
| Vampires | coven | — |
| Vans | fleet | — |
| Vegetables | basket | — |
| Vegetarians | sprig | — |
| Vehicles | convoy; fleet | Convoy for vehicles traveling together; fleet for vehicles owned by one owner. |
| Vendors | haggle | — |
| Vessels | fleet | — |
| Vicars | prudence | — |
| Violinists | string | — |
| Vipers | nest | — |
| Voles | colony | — |
| Voters | electorate; constituency | Electorate for everyone entitled to vote in a given election or area; constituency for the voters of one district that elects a representative, or the district itself. |
| Vultures | committee; kettle; wake; venue | Committee or venue for vultures perched or resting; kettle for vultures circling in the air; wake for vultures feeding at a carcass. |
W
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wagers | book | — |
| Waiters | absence | — |
| Walkers | amble | — |
| Wallabies | mob | — |
| Walruses | herd; pod | Herd and pod mean the same, walruses together. |
| Warships | armada; fleet | Armada for a large war fleet; fleet for a navy’s ships together. |
| Warthogs | sounder | — |
| Washing machines | shudder | — |
| Wasps | nest; swarm; colony | Nest for a wasp nest and the wasps in it; swarm for wasps in flight; colony for wasps living together, in the species that do. |
| Waterfowl | plump | — |
| Weapons | arsenal; cache | Arsenal for a stock of weapons, or the place where they are kept; cache for weapons hidden away. |
| Weasels | sneak | — |
| Weavers | shuttle | — |
| Whales | pod; school; gam | Pod and school are both used for whales together, with size and makeup varying by species; gam for whales meeting at sea, also a whalers’ term. |
| Wheat | sheaf | — |
| Whelps | litter | — |
| Whiting | pod | — |
| Wigeon | company; bunch; knob; flight | Company, bunch and knob mean the same; flight for wigeon in the air. |
| Wild boars | sounder | — |
| Wildcats | destruction | — |
| Wildebeest | herd; implausibility | Herd and implausibility mean the same; herd is the everyday word. |
| Wildfowl | plump; sord; sute | Plump, sord and sute mean the same. |
| Windmills | tilt | — |
| Wine tasters | bouquet | — |
| Winners | shout | — |
| Winnings | purse | — |
| Witches | coven | — |
| Wizards | congeries | — |
| Wolves | pack; rout | Pack for wolves living and hunting together; rout is an older word for a pack. |
| Wombats | mob; wisdom | Mob is the everyday word; wisdom means the same. |
| Wood | cord | — |
| Woodcocks | fall | — |
| Woodpeckers | descent | — |
| Wool | bale | — |
| Words | vocabulary; charm | Vocabulary for the words a person knows, or that a language or field uses; charm for words strung together to please. |
| Workers | team; crew; gang; workforce | Team for workers who share a task; crew or gang for workers on one job; workforce for all the workers of one employer. |
| Worms | bunch; clew | Bunch and clew mean the same; clew is a ball of worms. |
| Worshipers | congregation | — |
| Wrens | herd | — |
| Wrestlers | clutch | — |
| Writers | worship | — |
| Writings | corpus | Corpus for all the writings of one author or on one subject. |
Y
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Yachts | fleet | — |
| Yaks | herd | — |
| Years | score | Score: twenty. |
| Yeomen | fellowship | — |
| Youths | optimism | — |
Z
| Group of | Collective noun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Zebras | herd; zeal; dazzle | Herd, zeal and dazzle mean the same; herd is the everyday word. |
| Zombies | stench | — |
More A-to-Z lists
For other A-to-Z lists, see the List of Phobias, the List of Manias, the List of Hobbies, the List of Branches of Science and the List of Mottoes.
Frequently asked questions
What is a collective noun?
A collective noun names a group of people, animals or things as one unit: a flock of sheep, a team of players, a bunch of keys. The word refers to the group, while the noun after “of” names its members.
What is a group of crows called?
A murder of crows. The term comes from late-medieval lists of group names; in everyday speech a group of crows is just as often called a flock.
What is a group of owls called?
A parliament of owls. A stare of owls is also recorded. For other birds, see the table: an exaltation of larks, a murmuration of starlings, an unkindness of ravens and a charm of goldfinches.
Are terms like “a murder of crows” really used?
Some are, but many are not. Dozens of them come from 15th-century English lists of hunting terms, the best known being The Book of St Albans of 1486, and a number of those were likely jokes even then. Others, such as a dazzle of zebras or a tower of giraffes, are later wordplay. The table shows the playful ones in purple italics; everyday speech mostly uses flock, herd, pack and swarm.
What is a group of lions called?
A pride. A pride is a family group of related females, their cubs and a few adult males; it is one of the few traditional group names that is also the everyday one.
What is the collective noun for people?
There is no single word; it depends on the group: a crowd of onlookers, an audience of listeners, a panel of experts, a troupe of performers, a congregation of worshipers or a team of players.
Is it a school of fish or a shoal of fish?
Both are correct, and everyday English often uses them alike. Biologists draw a line: a shoal is any group of fish that stay together; a school is a shoal swimming in the same direction in a coordinated way.
Does a collective noun take a singular or plural verb?
In American English it usually takes a singular verb: the team is winning, the jury has decided. British English often uses a plural verb when the members act as individuals: the team are arguing among themselves. A few collective nouns, such as police and clergy, are always plural: the police are on their way.
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