Collective nouns in English

What are collective nouns?

Collective nouns refer to a group of people, animals, or things as a single entity. For example, family, team, committee, and jury are collective nouns indicating a group of people.

Imagine you saw many birds flying together. Instead of saying, “Look at those birds flying together,” you can say, “Look at that flock of birds!” Here, “flock” is a collective noun we use for a group of birds.

Why are collective nouns important? Because they help us communicate clearly and concisely. Imagine you were looking at a beautiful countryside scene. Instead of saying, “There were many sheep, all walking and eating together on the field,” you can say, “There was a herd of sheep in the field.” Using the word "herd" helps us describe the same scene in fewer words. This shows how collective nouns, like “herd,” make our speaking and writing clearer and simpler. They help us share ideas quickly and easily.

Collective nouns for animals

Collective nouns for different animals

Animals often live and move together in groups. In English, we have collective nouns to talk about these groups. Let’s learn some common collective nouns for animals.

School

/skuːl/ 🔊

A group of fish or other sea creatures swimming together.

The school of fish darted around the coral reef.

Flock

/flɑk/ 🔊

A group of birds, goats or sheep.

The flock of birds soared gracefully in the sky.

Pod

/pɑd/ 🔊

A group of marine animals, especially whales or dolphins.

The pod of dolphins played alongside the boat.

Pride

/praɪd/ 🔊

A group of lions.

The pride of lions rested under the shade of trees.

Swarm

/swɔrm/ 🔊

A large group of insects, especially flying ones.

A swarm of bees buzzed around the flowers.

Colony

/ˈkɑl.ə.ni/ 🔊

A group of certain animals, especially ants or seabirds, that live together.

The colony of penguins huddled together for warmth.

Pack

/pæk/ 🔊

A group of wild animals, especially wolves, living and hunting together.

The pack of wolves moved stealthily through the forest.

Herb

/hɜrb/ 🔊

A group of herbivorous animals, especially deer.

The herb of deer grazed peacefully in the meadow.

Litter

/ˈlɪt.ər/ 🔊

A group of young animals born together by the same mother.

The litter of cats played around the house.

Troop

/trup/ 🔊

A group of monkeys.

The troop of monkeys chattered loudly in the trees.

Clowder

/ˈklaʊ.dər/ 🔊

A group of cats.

The clowder of cats lounged lazily in the sun.

Brood

/brud/ 🔊

A group of young birds hatched at the same time.

The mother hen protected her brood from the elements.

Flight

/flaɪt/ 🔊

A group of flying birds.

A flight of swallows circled the sky at dusk.

Parliament

/ˈpɑːrləmənt/ 🔊

A group of owls.

The parliament of owls watched intently from the treetops.

Collective nouns for penguin

Collective nouns for penguins on land

When penguins gather on land, they often move in groups that highlight their distinctive, waddling walk.

• Waddle: A waddle of penguins is used to describe penguins moving on land, especially with their side-to-side gait.
• Huddle: A huddle of penguins refers to groups gathered closely together, often to keep warm in colder climates.
• Colony: A colony of penguins describes a larger group living and nesting together on land.
• Rookery: A rookery is a breeding colony where penguins nest, lay eggs, and raise chicks.

Collective noun for penguins in water

Penguins are social and often remain in groups while in water. The terms used here describe their aquatic behaviour.

• Raft: A raft of penguins describes a group swimming or floating together on the water's surface.

General collective nouns for penguins

Some collective nouns apply to penguins in both land and water settings, emphasizing their social nature.

• Group: A group of penguins is a broad term for penguins in various settings.
• Flock: Though more common for flying birds, a flock can describe penguins as a collective.

Collective nouns for bees

Bees in large groups or colonies

Bees are social insects and often form large groups with highly organized structures. Here are some common terms for groups of bees:

• Swarm: A swarm of bees refers to a large group of bees moving together, often when they leave their hive to start a new colony.
• Colony: A colony of bees describes an organized community living and working together in a hive.
• Hive: A hive of bees refers to the structured group of bees living in a man-made or natural beehive.
• Nest: A nest of bees can describe bees living in a natural shelter, such as a hollow tree.

Bees with specific roles

In a bee colony, different terms are used to describe bees based on their roles and functions:

• Brood: The brood consists of young bees, including eggs, larvae, and pupae, being cared for by worker bees.
• Cluster: A cluster of bees can refer to a tight group of bees, especially when they gather together for warmth in cold weather.

General collective nouns for bees

Some terms apply to groups of bees regardless of their specific behaviour or structure:

• Flight: A flight of bees can describe bees flying together, especially when they are gathering nectar or returning to the hive.
• Bike: A less common collective noun for bees, a bike of bees, also refers to a group of bees.

Collective nouns for people

People often come together in groups for work, play, or chat. We have collective nouns for these groups. Below is a list of collective nouns for people with their definitions and example use.

Audience

/'ɔː.di.əns/ 🔊

A group of people watching or listening to something or someone.

The school play attracted a large audience from the local community.

Board

/bɔrd/ 🔊

A group of individuals that manage or control an organisation.

The board of directors will meet next week to address the matter.

Crew

/kru/ 🔊

People working together, especially on a ship, aircraft, or film.

The crew worked tirelessly to navigate the ship through the storm.

Choir

/kwaɪər/ 🔊

A group of people who sing together.

Every Christmas, the choir performs carols at the mall.

Class

/klæs/ 🔊

A group of students who are taught together.

The entire class was excited about the upcoming field trip.

Team

/tim/ 🔊

People who play together in a sports game or work together on a particular project.

The football team practised daily to prepare for the big match.

Panel

/ˈpæn.əl/ 🔊

A group of experts or individuals gathered to discuss, judge, or advise on a particular subject or issue.

A panel of judges evaluated the designs in the fashion show.

Troop

/trup/ 🔊

A group of scouts or soldiers.

The troop set up camp at the base of the mountain.

Orchestra

/ˈɔːrkɪstrə/ 🔊

A group of musicians who play many different instruments together.

The orchestra played a beautiful symphony.

Cast

/kæst/ 🔊

All the actors in a film, play, or show.

The cast received a standing ovation at the end of the performance.

Faculty

/ˈfæk.əl.ti/ 🔊

All the teachers or lecturers of a particular school, college, or university.

The faculty met to discuss the new curriculum.

Squad

/skwɑd/ 🔊

A small group of people trained to work together as a unit.

The police squad arrived at the scene promptly.

Chorus

/ˈkɔːrəs/ 🔊

A group of people singing together.

The chorus sang in harmony behind the lead singer.

Mob

/mɒb/ 🔊

A large crowd or group of people.

The mob of people protested loudly in front of the city hall.

Collective nouns for things

In English, there are also collective nouns to indicate groups of things. Instead of saying many paintings, we can say a gallery of paintings. Familiarise yourself with these collective nouns to make your English more elegant.

Bundle

/ˈbʌn.dəl/ 🔊

A collection of things wrapped up together.

She carried a bundle of sticks on her back.

Deck

/dɛk/ 🔊

A set of cards.

He shuffled the deck of cards before starting the game.

Set

/sɛt/ 🔊

A group of things that belong together, or resemble one another in some way.

He bought a new set of tools for his garage.

Stack

/stæk/ 🔊

A pile of things arranged one on top of another.

There was a tall stack of books on his desk.

Bunch

/bʌntʃ/ 🔊

A number of things, typically of the same kind, fastened or packed together.

She picked a bunch of grapes from the vine.

Library

/ˈlaɪ.brer.i/ 🔊

A collection of books or musics.

His home library contained over a thousand books.

Pack

/pæk/ 🔊

A collection of things wrapped or boxed together.

He opened a new pack of cards.

Batch

/bætʃ/ 🔊

A quantity of goods produced at the same time.

She baked a fresh batch of cookies for the party.

Fleet

/fliːt/ 🔊

A group of ships sailing together.

The fleet of ships set sail at dawn.

Line

/laɪn/ 🔊

A row of people or things arranged next to each other.

Traffic was slow due to a long line of cars on the highway.

Sheaf

/ʃiːf/ 🔊

A collection of things held or tied together after.

Farmers gathered sheaves of wheat in the field.

Ream

/riːm/ 🔊

A packet of 500 sheets of paper.

She purchased a ream of paper for the printer.

Wad

/wɒd/ 🔊

A thick pile of flat material or banknotes.

He took out a thick wad of notes from his pocket.

Cluster

/ˈklʌs.tər/ 🔊

A group of similar things that are close together, sometimes surrounding something.

Astronomers observed a bright cluster of stars in the night sky.

Collective nouns list