Word
masse
/ˈmæs/
Definition
n. a large amount or a big group of something. It is often used in the phrase 'en masse' to describe many people doing something together.
n. a large body of matter with no definite shape; a collective whole. Most frequently encountered in the adverbial phrase 'en masse', which describes a group acting as a single unit.
Examples
“The crowd moved en masse toward the exit.”
“When the factory announced the new safety rules, the workers walked out en masse to protest the changes.”
“The migratory birds took flight en masse, creating a dark, shifting cloud that stretched across the horizon for several miles.”
Examples
simple
“The crowd moved en masse toward the exit.”
contextual
“When the factory announced the new safety rules, the workers walked out en masse to protest the changes.”
complex
“The migratory birds took flight en masse, creating a dark, shifting cloud that stretched across the horizon for several miles.”
Usage
Primarily used in the French loan phrase 'en masse', which functions as an adverbial phrase meaning 'all together'.
Pitfall
They left in masse
They left en masse
The phrase is a direct loan from French and always uses 'en' rather than the English preposition 'in'.
Real-World Examples
“The BBC has seen evidence that oil is being smuggled across the border from Iran to Pakistan en masse by bikers , some as young as 15.” “But what institutions around the world have been doing instead, she said, is hoping technology can be easily and cheaply used to prevent cheating en masse.” Scan code
englishreference.com/q/masse