Collective Nouns, Definition and Examples

English Collective Nouns, Definition and Examples

Collective Nouns

Collective nouns are words for single things that are made up of more than one person, place, animal, thing, or idea. Words like Flock, Crowd and Staff are collective noun examples. There are lots of collective nouns.

 

Common Collective Nouns

Choir; A large, organized group of singers

Sam sings in a church choir.

Swarm; A group of insects

The sea swarm with fish.

Orchestra; A large, organized group of instrumentalists

Tom play trombones in a symphonic wind orchestra.

Staff; A huge group of people who work in the same place

I speak Germany to my staff.

Shoal; A group of fish

The ship ran aground on a shoal.

Herd; A group of herbivore animals

This is the herd I’ve been developing for about two years.

Shower; Usually used to describe rain, even though it can be used to describe gifts or compliments

Rosie chose a pair of wool-lined clogs, shower sandals.

Mob; Used to describe an angry or unruly group of people

Her rule was always to look a mob in the face.

Panel; A group of experts and a small group of people chosen to give advice

Adam’s application will need to go forward to a selection panel.

Heap; A mounded collection of items

Bill heaped himself plate with salad.

Series; Used to discuss films, books, or events that follow one after another, i.e.

A firs series of the latter appeared in 1798.

Stack; A group of items, chimney, neatly laid one on top of another; i.e.

Ellie spent all day stacking firewood.

Pile; An untidy collection

Britney has piles of money.

Troupe; A group of actors or acrobats

Troupe of yellow howler monkeys are feeding.

Bunch; Generally a group of smallish objects such as grapes, flowers, claps

Robert bought a bunch of grapes.

Set; A tidy group of matched objects such as alarm

My sister set the table

Gang; Usually used to a group of criminals

Jack seems to be a member of a gang.

Pack; A group of canine animals such as dogs

Flock; Some kind of birds; also used to discuss small animals

She saw a flock of sheep.

Group; A very general term used to describe things e.t.c

Sandra joined the group.

 

Collective Noun Examples

• a cluster of coconuts
• a class of students
• a company of actors
• a gaggle of geese
• a haul of fish
• bury/colony/nest/warren of rabbits
• nursery of raccoons
• string of racehorses
• a herd of cattle
• a hive of bees
• a gang of prisoners
• a battery of guns
• a block of flats
• a book of notes
• A gang of slaves
• A gang of thieves
• A gang of criminals
• A gang of crooks
• A gang of hoodlums
• a bouquet of flowers
• a bowl of rice
• a bunch of keys
• a bundle of sticks

(For Collective Nouns For People)

• a catalogue of prices
• an outfit of clothes
• a party of friends
• a catalogue of prices
• a caravan of gypsies
• a choir of singers
• a shuffle of bureaucrats
• a side of dancers
• a subtlety of sergeants at law
• a superfluity of nuns
• a tabernacle of bakers
• a chest of drawers
• a nest of mice
• a pack of wolves
• a plague of locusts
• a cloud of dust
• a party of friends
• a patrol of policemen
• a posse of policemen
• a regiment of soldiers
• a staff of employees
• a team of players
• a tribe of natives
• a troop of scouts
• a bunch of crocks
• a caravan of gypsies
• a choir of singers
• a class of students
• a zoo of wild animals
• a crowd of people
• an anthology of poems
• a horde of savages
• a bale of cotton
• a basket of fruit
• a batch of bread
• a galaxy of stars
• a group of islands
• a fleet of ships
• a forest of trees
• A chest of drawers
• a company of actors
• a tribe of natives
• a troop of scouts
• A simplicity of subalterns
• A poverty of pipers
• A slate of candidates
• A slither of gossip columnists
• A slouch of models
• A sneer of butlers
• a harvest of wheat
• a heap of rubbish
• a syndicate of merchants
• a draught of butlers
• a cohort of guests/visitors
• a lying of pardoners
• a posse of sheriffs
• a class of pupils
• a sprig of vegetarians
• a squad of beaters
• a talent of gamblers
• a tantrum of decorators
• a team of athletes
• a team of players
• a thought of barons
• a tribe of Indians
• a tribe of natives
• a posse of policemen
• a regiment of soldiers
• a staff of employees
• a team of players
• a tribe of natives
• a troop of scouts
• a troupe of artistes
• an army of ants
• a bevy of quail
• a broad of chickens
• a catch of fish
• a cloud of insects
• a squad of soldiers
• a squat of daubers
• a squeal of nieces
• a staff of employees
• a staff of servants
• a staff of teachers
• a stalk of foresters
• a string of horses
• a stud of horses
• a swarm of bees
• a colony of badgers
• sloth of bears
• a bevy of ladies
• a board of directors
• a body of men
• a bunch of crocks
• a hail of bullets
• a hand of bananas
• a flock of tourists
• a faculty of teachers
• a hedge of bushes
• a library of books