A crowd is a large group of people gathered together in one place. You might see a crowd at a concert, a sporting event, or a busy shopping mall during the holidays. When many people pack into the same space, they form a crowd.

Crowds can feel exciting or overwhelming depending on the situation. At a championship game, the crowd's cheering creates an electric atmosphere that can make players perform better. But in a crowded hallway between classes, you might feel squeezed and uncomfortable as everyone pushes toward their next classroom.

The word crowd can also be a verb meaning to push closely together or to press in on something. If too many students crowd around a science experiment, the ones in back can't see. When thoughts crowd your mind before a big test, so many worries fill your head that it's hard to focus on any single one.

People sometimes use crowd to mean a particular group of friends: “I usually hang out with the soccer crowd.” A crowd-pleaser is something that appeals to many different people, like pizza at a party. To stand out from the crowd means to be noticeably different from others around you.