The right group synonym depends on who or what is gathered and how tightly. A set of coworkers is a team, a mass of strangers is a crowd, a run of objects is a collection or set, and a label for similar items is a category.
Group is also a verb, meaning to sort things together. The sections below cover the nouns, the verb, collective nouns for animals, and the plural form groups, so you can trade a flat word for a specific one.
Swatch at a glance
Best swaps
team, set, collection, crowd, categoryPart of speech
Noun, verbMost formal
cohort, assembly, consortiumMost casual
bunch, crew, gangVerb swaps
sort, classify, organize, clusterAntonyms
individual, single, separateWord forms covered
groups, grouped, groupingWatch out
Gang can suggest crime. Use it only for friends in casual talk.
Group synonym table: who or what is gathered
| Gathered | Words | Example |
|---|---|---|
| People working together | team, crew, squad, unit | A crew of six fixed the roof. |
| People in one place | crowd, gathering, audience, throng | A crowd formed outside the station. |
| Friends | circle, bunch, gang (casual) | Her circle meets every Friday. |
| An official body | organization, association, committee | The committee voted on Monday. |
| Objects | collection, set, batch, cluster | The second batch of cookies burned. |
| Labels | category, class, bracket, tier | He falls in the top tax bracket. |
Loose to organized
The chips running across the page arrange people words by structure. A crowd has no shared goal. A bunch of friends is casual and friendly. A circle shares interests or ties. A team works toward the same aim with roles. An organization has rules, leaders and often a name. Choose the word that shows how connected the members really are.
Swaps that make sentences specific
- A group of students becomes a class, a cohort or a study group.
- A group of musicians becomes a band or an ensemble.
- A group of actors becomes a cast or a troupe.
- A group of islands becomes an archipelago or a chain.
- A group of stars becomes a cluster or a constellation.
- A group of experts becomes a panel.
A volunteer email: "Our group will meet the other group at the park." Sharper: "Our cleanup crew will meet the neighborhood association at the park." Now the reader knows exactly who is coming.
Collective nouns for animals
English has special group words for animals. The common ones are worth knowing, since they turn up in stories, nature writing and school tests. The rare ones, like a parliament of owls, are mostly for fun and quizzes, so do not force them into serious work.
| Animal | Word |
|---|---|
| Cows, deer | herd |
| Sheep, birds | flock |
| Wolves, dogs | pack |
| Fish | school, shoal |
| Bees | swarm, hive |
| Lions | pride |
Verbs for group, grouped and grouping
As a verb, group means to put things together by type. Sort is the everyday choice, classify and categorize sound scientific, and cluster suggests items close together in space or data. Lump together is casual and slightly critical, hinting that differences were ignored.
- We grouped the files by year becomes we sorted the files by year.
- Grouping customers by age becomes segmenting customers by age in marketing.
- Critics grouped all the plans together becomes critics lumped all the plans together.
Groups synonym: plurals and phrases
For the plural, most swaps simply add s: teams, sets, categories. A few phrases replace groups of something neatly: several teams, various factions, multiple parties. In politics and debates, faction means a smaller group inside a larger one, often in conflict. In research, cohorts are groups followed over time, while samples are groups chosen for study.
Opposites and near misses
The opposite of a group is an individual or a single item. For the verb, the antonyms are separate, divide and scatter. Be careful with near misses: a community is a group that shares a place or identity, not just any gathering, and a family is a group linked by kinship or close bonds. Browse the noun hub for related words such as people and society.
Frequently asked questions
What is another word for group of people?
Team, crowd, circle, party and gathering are the most common. Pick team for people working together and crowd for strangers in one place.
Which group synonym suits formal writing?
Cohort, assembly, body and consortium sound formal. Consortium is used for groups of companies or institutions working on one project.
Which words describe a small group?
Handful, cluster, knot and small party all work. In workplaces, a small working group is often called a task force or pod.
What is the verb form synonym for group?
Sort, classify, categorize and organize all mean to put into groups. Cluster works when items are close together.
Does group have an antonym?
Individual is the usual opposite for people. For the verb, use separate or divide.
Can I use bunch instead of group?
Yes, in casual speech: a bunch of friends, a bunch of grapes. In formal writing, prefer group, set or collection.