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flock

n. · v.
US //ˈfɫɑk// UK //flˈɒk// flock
  1. 1 group of birds (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a group of birds that live, feed, or travel together.

    a collective group of birds, especially those gathered for migration or feeding.

    Example

    A large flock of geese flew over the lake in a V-shape.

    Example

    Ornithologists observed a massive flock of starlings performing complex aerial maneuvers over the marshlands at dusk.
  2. 2 group of sheep or goats (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a group of sheep or goats kept together.

    a group of small livestock, typically sheep or goats, kept under the care of a person or dog.

    Example

    The farmer led his flock of sheep to the green grass on the hill.

    Example

    The shepherd spent the summer months moving his flock across the high mountain pastures to ensure they had sufficient grazing material.
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  1. 3 religious congregation (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Literary Religion

    the people who belong to a particular church or follow a religious leader.

    a congregation of faithful believers under the spiritual guidance of a pastor or priest.

    Example

    The priest spoke warmly to his flock during the Sunday morning service.

    Example

    The bishop traveled throughout the rural diocese to offer support and guidance to his growing flock of parishioners.
  2. 4 to gather in large numbers (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to go to a place in large numbers because something interesting is happening there.

    to congregate or move in great numbers toward a specific location or event.

    Example

    Thousands of fans flock to the city every year for the music festival.

    Example

    Tourists flock to the coastal village every summer, drawn by the pristine beaches and the reputation of the local seafood restaurants.

    Usage

    often used with the preposition 'to'
  3. 5 textile fibers (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical

    small pieces of wool or cotton used to stuff pillows or decorate wallpaper.

    short fibers of wool, cotton, or rayon used for stuffing upholstery or creating a velvet-like texture on surfaces.

    Example

    The old chair was filled with cheap wool flock that had become lumpy.

    Example

    The restoration expert chose a traditional flock wallpaper to match the original nineteenth-century interior design of the drawing room.
Etymology 1

From Middle English flok, from Old English flocc (“flock, company, troop”), from Proto-West Germanic flokk, from Proto-Germanic flukkaz (“crowd, troop”). Cognate with German Low German Flock (“crowd, flock”), Danish flok (“flock”), Swedish flock (“flock”), Norwegian flokk (“flock”), Faroese flokkur (“flock”), Icelandic flokkur (“flock, group”). Related also to Norman fliotchet (“flock, crowd”), from Old Norse. Perhaps related to Old English folc (“crowd, troop, band”). More at folk.

Etymology 2

From Middle English flok (“tuft of wool”), from Old French floc (“tuft of wool”), from Late Latin floccus (“tuft of wool”), probably from Frankish flokko (“down, wool, flock”), from Proto-Germanic flukkōn-, flukkan-, fluksōn- (“down, flock”), from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“hair, fibres, tuft”). Cognate with Old High German flocko (“down”), Middle Dutch vlocke (“flock”), Norwegian dialectal flugsa (“snowflake”). Non-Germanic cognates include Albanian flok (“hair”).

Idioms2 entries

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