# swarm

> English word · Noun · IPA /swɔɹm/ · frequency rank #16,364

## Definitions
1. A large number of insects, especially when in motion or (for bees) migrating to a new colony.
2. A mass of people, animals or things in motion or turmoil.
3. A group of nodes sharing the same torrent in a BitTorrent network.
4. A number of small earthquakes (or other seismic events) occurring, with no clear cause, in a specific area within a relatively short space of time.

## Etymology
From Middle English swarm, from Old English swearm (“swarm, multitude”), from Proto-West Germanic *swarm, from Proto-Germanic *swarmaz (“swarm, dizziness”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“to buzz, hum”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Swoorm (“swarm”), Dutch zwerm, German Schwarm, Danish sværm, Swedish svärm, Icelandic svarmur (“tumult, swarm”), Latin susurrus (“whispering, humming”), Lithuanian surma (“a pipe”), Russian свире́ль (svirélʹ, “a pipe, reed”).
The verb is from Middle English swarmen, swermen, from Old English swirman (“to swarm”), from Proto-West Germanic *swarmijan, from Proto-Germanic *swarmijaną (“to swarm”), from the noun. Cognate with Scots swairm, swerm (“to swarm”), Dutch zwermen, German schwärmen, Danish sværme, Swedish svärma.

## Easily confused with
- **swim** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swarm-vs-swim)
- **sway** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swarm-vs-sway)
- **SWAT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swarm-vs-swat)
- **swear** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swarm-vs-swear)
- **sword** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swarm-vs-sword)
- **sworn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swarm-vs-sworn)
- **swore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swarm-vs-swore)
- **swirl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swarm-vs-swirl)
- **swath** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swarm-vs-swath)
- **Swartz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swarm-vs-swartz)
- **Sam** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sam-vs-swarm)
- **Sar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sar-vs-swarm)
- **star** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/star-vs-swarm)
- **spam** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spam-vs-swarm)
- **slam** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slam-vs-swarm)
- **Sara** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sara-vs-swarm)
- **scam** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/scam-vs-swarm)
- **swap** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swap-vs-swarm)
- **swan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swan-vs-swarm)
- **scar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/scar-vs-swarm)

## Common misspellings (8)
`sawrm`, `sswarm`, `swamr`, `swarmm`, `swarrm`, `swram`, `swwarm`, `wsarm`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/swarm