Collective Nouns Definition, Rules, Usage, and Helpful Examples • Englishilm

Here, we will learn the definition of collective nouns, which are known as types of nouns in English grammar. In this lesson, we will learn the definition, rules, usage, and very helpful and easy examples related to collective nouns. Let’s begin with today’s lesson:

Group words are important in English. They help talk about a bunch of things or people as if they’re just one thing. For example, words like “group,” “flock,” and “team” are common ones. These words make it easy to talk about many things together, making communication clear and making it feel like they’re all part of one big thing.

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Collective Nouns Definition

A noun is a word for a person, place, thing, or idea. It’s an important word type, and it can be one or more than one.

Examples of nouns are “cat,” “house,” and “joy.”

Collective nouns are words used to describe a group of people, animals, or things.

Unlike regular nouns that denote individual entities, collective nouns bring together a collection of items under a singular umbrella. These terms not only simplify language but also add a touch of creativity, enabling us to express groups with flair and imagination.

Collective nouns describe a group:

The team is playing well.
The flock of birds flew away.
Sarah brought a bunch of flowers.

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Usage of Collective Nouns in Sentences

When you talk about groups using group words in sentences, it’s important to match them with the right verbs. Usually, since these words represent one bunch, you use a single verb. But sometimes, especially if you mean each individual in the group, you might need to use a plural verb.

Singular verb example:

The committee is meeting tomorrow.

Plural verb example:

The team are wearing their new uniforms.

Common Collective Nouns

Here are some examples of collective nouns that represent different entities:

People:

Audience
Crew
Staff
Learn more collective nouns for peoples

Animals:

Herd
Pride
Swarm
Learn more collective nouns for animals

Things:

Set
Bundle
Collection
Learn more collective nouns for things

Collective Nouns Examples

What is a group of girls called? A bevy of girls, a giggle of girls
What is a group of boys called? A blush of boys, a rascal of boys
What is a group of cats called? A glaring of cats, a cluster of cats, a clutter of cats
What is a group of ferrets called? A business ferret, a cast of ferrets
What is a group of giraffes called? A journey of giraffes, a herd of giraffes, a tower of giraffes

Examples of Collective Nouns

Common Collective Nouns

Collective nouns are words that describe a group of people, animals, or things. They usually represent a whole rather than individual members. Some common collective nouns include:

Team: a group of players, sportsmen, or workers
Board: a group of directors or administrators
Band: a group of musicians
Pack: a group of animals, such as dogs or wolves
Crowd: a large group of people
Bunch: an informal term for a group of items or people
Set: a collection of similar items
Committee: a group of decision-makers
Pair: two similar items or persons

Collective Nouns for Animals

There are numerous collective nouns specifically used for animals, some of which are unique and interesting in their application. A few examples include:

Flock: a group of birds or sheep
Herd: a group of large animals, such as cows, elephants, or deer
Swarm: a large, moving group of insects or small animals
Gang: a group of animals, such as elk or turkeys
Mob: a group of kangaroos or emus
Parliament: a group of owls

The Art of Wordplay:

Beyond being merely functional terms, collective nouns exhibit the skill of wordplay. From the witty “a dazzle of zebras” to the charming “a charm of hummingbirds,” these terms bring imagination and creativity to language and encourage us to view groups as something more than a collection of people.

Cultural and Historical Significance:

Many collective nouns have deep cultural and historical roots. The origins of these terms often lie in traditions, folklore, or the observed behaviors of the animals or groups they represent. Exploring the history behind collective nouns unveils connections between language and the rich tapestry of human experience.

The Evolution of Collective Nouns:

Language is dynamic, and so is the usage of collective nouns. Over time, new terms emerge, while others may fall out of favor. The evolution of these words reflects societal changes, shifts in perceptions, and the continuous transformation of language as a living entity.

Collective Nouns List

Learn an extensive list of collective nouns in English with example sentences:

List of Common Group Names

Group Name: “Herd”

Collective noun examples:

A herd of antelope
A herd of boar
A herd of buffaloes
A herd of caribou
A herd of cattle
A herd of chamois
A herd of chinchillas
A herd of cows
A herd of cranes
A herd of deer
A herd of donkeys
A herd of elephants
A herd of elk
A herd of fairies
A herd of giraffes
A herd of gnus
A herd of goats
A herd of horses
A herd of llamas
A herd of moose
A herd of oxen
A herd of pigs
A herd of ponies
A herd of sea horses
A herd of seals
A herd of swans
A herd of swine
A herd of walruses
A herd of whales
A herd of wolves
A herd of wrens
A herd of yaks
A herd of zebras

Group Name: “Pack”

Collective noun list:

A pack of bears (polar bears)
A pack of coyotes
A pack of dogs
A pack of grouse
A pack of gulls
A pack of hounds
A pack of mongooses
A pack of mules
A pack of rats
A pack of sharks
A pack of stoats
A pack of weasels
A pack of wolves

Group Name: “Flock”

Collective noun list:

A flock of birds
A flock of bustards
A flock of camels
A flock of chickens
A flock of ducks
A flock of geese
A flock of goats
A flock of parrots
A flock of pigeons
A flock of seagulls
A flock of sheep
A flock of swifts
A flock of tourists
A flock of turkeys

Group Name: “Swarm”

Collective noun list:

A swarm of ants
A swarm of bees
A swarm of butterflies
A swarm of eels
A swarm of flies
A swarm of gnats
A swarm of insects
A swarm of rats

Group Name: “Shoal”

Collective noun examples:

A shoal of bass
A shoal of fish
A shoal of herrings
A shoal of pilchards
A shoal of salmon

Group Name: “Group”

Collective noun list:

A group of guinea pigs
A group of islands
A group of people
A group of dancers
A group of engineers

Group Name: “Crowd”

Collective noun examples:

A crowd of onlookers
A crowd of people

Group Name: “Gang”

Collective noun list:

A gang of hoodlums
A gang of laborers
A gang of slaves
A gang of thieves
A gang of criminals
A gang of crooks
A gang of hoodlums
A gang of prisoners

Group Name: “Mob”

Collective noun list:

A mob of emus
A mob of kangaroos
A mob of meerkats
A mob of thieves
A mob of sheep
A mob of kangaroos
A mob of rioters

Group Name: “Staff”

Group name examples:

A staff of employees
A staff of servants

Group Name: “Crew”

Group name examples:

A crew of sailors

Group Name: “Choir”

Group name examples:

A choir of angels

Group Name: “Orchestra”

Group name examples:

An orchestra of musicians

Group Name: “Panel”

Group name examples:

A panel of experts

Group Name: “Board”

Group name examples:

A board of directors
A board of trustees
A board of chess players

Group Name: “Troupe”

Collective noun list:

A troupe of monkeys
A troupe of shrimp
A troupe of dancers
A troupe of minstrels
A troupe of performers

Group Name: “Bunch”

Group name examples:

A bunch of seals
A bunch of pigeons

Group Name: “Pile”

Group name examples:

A pile of books

Group Name: “Heap”

Group name examples:

A heap of trash

Group Name: “Set”

Group name examples:

A set of bowls
A set of utensils

Group Name: “Stack”

Group name examples:

A stack of books

Group Name: “Series”

Group name examples:

A series of events
A series of photos

Group Name: “Shower”

Group name examples:

A shower of bastards

Group Name: “Fall”

Group name examples:

A fall of lambs
A fall of woodcock

Collective Nouns List for People

In English, collective nouns for people are names for a number or a collection of people.

A list of collective nouns for people in English:

A circle of friends
A class of pupils
A horde of savages
A host of angels
A house of senators
A joint of osteopaths
A lie or an equivocation of politicians
A line of kings or rulers
A melody of harpists
A mess/An execution of officers
A meter of percussionists
A mob of rioters
A morbidity of majors
A mug or reflection of narcissists
A multiplicity or an unhappiness of husbands
A mutter of mothers-in-law
A wisdom of grandparents
A number/A set of mathematicians
A pack of Brownies
A pack of thieves
A pan of reviewers
A panel of experts
A party of friends
A patrol of policemen
A peck of Frenchmen
A picket of strikers
A pint of Irishmen
A pity/gang of prisoners
A plush/A rascal of boys
A pomposity of professors
A posse of police
posse of sheriffs
A pound of Englishmen
A promise of barmen
A prudence of vicars
A quiz of teachers
A rage of maidens
A rash of dermatologists
A regiment of soldiers
A rookery or a school of clerks
A rout of schoolboys
A sample of salesmen
A school of clerks
A scolding of seamstresses
A scoop/slant of journalists
A sentence of judges
A series of radiologists
A set or subtlety of designers
A set/A swish of hairdressers
A shower of bastards
A shower of meteorologists
A shrivel of critics
A shuffle of bureaucrats
A side of dancers
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 sprig of vegetarians
A squad of beaters
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 subtlety of sergeants at law
A superfluity of nuns
A tabernacle of bakers
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 trip of hippies
A troop of boy scouts
A troupe of acrobats
A troupe of artists
A troupe of dancers
A troupe of performers
A wandering of tinkers
A wheeze of joggers
A worship of writers
An absence or an order of waiters
An alley/A pratfall of clowns
A brace/A wince of dentists
An amalgamation of metallurgists
An amble of walkers
An ambush of widows
An army of soldiers
A roll of drummers
An attitude or grunt of teenagers
An audience of listeners
An eloquence of lawyers
An embarrassment or the persistence of parents
An entrance of actresses
An expectation of heirs
An expectation of midwives
An obscurity or a rhyme of poets
An illusion of magicians
An impatience of wives
An imposition of in-laws
An obeisance of servants
An observance of hermits
An obstruction of dons
Learn more Collective nouns for peoples

Collective Nouns List for Animals

In English, a collective noun for animals refers to a collection or a group of animals taken as a whole.

A list of collective nouns for animals in English:

List of Collective Nouns for Birds

A cloud of seafowls
A colony/A flock/A raft of auks
A colony of avocets
A colony of gulls
A colony of ibises
A colony/A parcel/A rookery of penguins
A covey/A brace/A brood/A flight/A pack of grouse
A covey/A bevy/A clutch/A warren of partridges
A covey of ptarmigans
A crowd of redwings
A descent of woodpeckers
A desert/A deceit of lapwings
A fall/A covey/A flight/A plump of woodcocks
A flight of birds
A flight/A gulp of cormorants
A flight of goshawks
A flight/A flock/A kit/A passel of pigeons
A flight/A gulp of swallows
A fling of dunlins
A fling of sandpipers
A flock of birds
A flock of bustards
A flock of swifts
A flock of turkeys
A flush of ducks
A head/A herd of curlews
A herd/A flock of wrens
A hill of ruffs
A host/A quarrel/A tribe/A ubiquity of sparrows
A murder/A hover/A muster/A parcel of crows
A chattering/A cloud/A congregation/A clutter of starlings
A muse of capons
A muster/An ostentation/A pride of peacocks
A mustering/A flight/A phalanx of storks
A mutation of thrushes
A bouquet/A head/A warren of pheasants
A parcel of linnets
A parliament/A stare of owls
A pitying of turtledoves
A plump of moorhens
A plump/A bunch/A knob/A raft of waterfowls
A pod/A scoop of pelicans
A prattle of parrots
A pride/A flock of ostriches
A rafter of turkeys
A run of poultry
A sedge/A siege of bitterns
A sedge/A herd/A sedge/A siege of cranes
A sedge/A flight/A hedge/A rookery/A siege of herons
A flush/A puddling of mallards
A spring/A bunch/A coil/A knob/A raft of teals
A squabble of seagulls
A stand of flamingos
A trip of dotterels
A trip/A bunch/A knob/A lute/A skein of wildfowls
A wake of buzzards
A walk/A wisp of snipes

List of Collective Nouns for Mammals

A glaring/A cluster/A clutter of cats
A cluster/A herd/A tribe of antelopes
A coalition of cheetahs
A cohort/A herd/A zeal of zebras
A colony/A family/A lodge of beavers
A colony of chinchillas
A colony/A horde/A mischief/A swarm of rats
A colony of voles
A congress/A flange/A troop of baboons
A coterie/A town of prairie dogs
A couple of impalas
A cowardice of curs
A crash/A herd/A stubbornness of rhinoceroses
A destruction of (wild) cats
A destruction of wildcats
A drift/A trip of (tame) swine
A dray/A colony of squirrels
A drift/A drove/A parcel of hogs
A drove of bullocks
A drove/A drift/A flock/A herd of pigs
A drove/A herd of swine
A fall of lambs
A family/A bevy/A raft/A romp of otters
A farrow/A litter of piglets
A field/A string of racehorses
A gang/A herb/An obstinacy of buffalos
A gang/A herd of elks
A grind of bottle-nosed whales
A group of guinea pigs
A herd/A gang of bisons
A herd/A leash of bucks
A herd of caribous
A herd/A drift/A drove/A mob of cattle
A herd of chamois
A herd/A drove of donkeys
A herd of elands
A herd/A parade of elephants
A herd/An implausibility of gnus
A herd of hartebeests
A herd of harts
A herd of ibexes
A herd of llamas
A herd of moose
A herd of wildebeests
A herd of yaks
A horde of gerbils
A horde of hamsters
A huddle/A herd/An ugly of walruses
A husk of jackrabbits
A journey/A group/A herd/A tower of giraffes
A kindle/A litter of kittens
A kindle of leverets
A labor/A company/A movement of moles
A leap of leopards
A leash of greyhounds
A litter of cubs
A litter of pups
A mischief/A horde/A nest/A trip of mice
A mob/A troop of kangaroos
A mob of wombats
A nursery/A gaze of raccoons
A pace/A drove/A coffle/A herd of asses
A pack/A band/A rout of coyotes
A pack/A kennel of dogs
A pack/A trip of stoats
A pack/A herd/A rout of wolves
A parcel of hinds
A pod/A flock/A school/A team of dolphins
A prickle of porcupines
A pride/A flock/A sault/A troop of lions
A rake/A rack/A rag of colts
A richness of martens
A school/A herd/A pod of porpoises
A shrewdness/A troop of apes
A skulk/An earth/A lead/A leash/A troop of foxes
A sloth of bears
A sneak/A gang/A pack of weasels
A sounder of (wild) boars
A sounder of (wild) pigs

List of Collective Nouns for Sea Animals

A glide of flying fish
A glint/A troubling of goldfish
A grind of blackfish
A herd of seahorses
A pack of perch
A party of rainbow fish
A quantity of smelts
A school of butterfly fish
A school of cod
A shiver/A school/A shoal of sharks
A shoal/A catch/A draught/A fray/A haul/A run/A school of fish
A shoal of mackerel
A shoal/A steam/A stream/A swarm of minnows
A shoal/A school of pilchards
A shoal of roach
A shoal of shads
A shoal/A spread of sticklebacks
A squad of squid
A swarm of dragonet fish
A swarm of eels
A troop of dogfish
A troupe of shrimp

List of Collective Nouns for Sea Animals

A glide of flying fish
A glint/A troubling of goldfish
A grind of blackfish
A herd of seahorses
A pack of perch
A party of rainbow fish
A quantity of smelts
A school of butterfly fish
A school of cod
A shiver/A school/A shoal of sharks
A shoal/A catch/A draught/A fray/A haul/A run/A school of fish
A shoal of mackerel
A shoal/A steam/A stream/A swarm of minnows
A shoal/A school of pilchards
A shoal of roach
A shoal of shads
A shoal/A spread of sticklebacks
A squad of squid
A swarm of dragonet fish
A swarm of eels
A troop of dogfish
A troupe of shrimp

List of Collective Nouns for Insects

A colony/An army/A bike/A swarm of ants
A swarm/A bike/A cast/A cluster/A drift/A game/A hive/A stand/A rabble/A grist of bees
A bike of (wild) bees
A flight/A rabble/A swarm of butterflies
An army of caterpillars
An intrusion of cockroaches
A swarm/A cloud/A business/A grist/A hatch of flies
A cloud/A cluster/A swarm of grasshoppers
A bike/A nest/A swarm of hornets
A flight/A horde/A plague/A rabble/A swarm of insects
A flock/A colony/An infestation of lice
A plague/A cloud/A swarm of locusts
A scourge/A swarm of mosquitoes
A clutter/A cluster of spiders