crowd into
crowd into — phrasal verb
- crowd intobase form
- crowds into3rd person singular
- crowding into-ing form
- crowded intopast simple
1. when a large number of thoughts, memories, or feelings rise up in your mind at o
when a large number of thoughts, memories, or feelings rise up in your mind at once, making it hard to focus on anything else.
As she walked through her childhood home, memories of her grandmother crowded into her mind.
subject = memories; + into + mind
Dozens of ideas crowded into the young artist's head faster than he could write them down.
subject = ideas crowding into + head
At night, worries about the exam crowded into Mei's thoughts and kept her awake.
subject = worries; keeps someone awake
When Fatima saw the old photo, memories of her trip to Taipei crowded into her mind.
trigger event: seeing a photo triggers crowding
- thoughts crowd into
- memories crowd into
- doubts crowd into
- crowd into one's mind
- crowd into one's head
- crowd into one's thoughts
- flood into
stronger emphasis on suddenness and overwhelming quantity
- rush into
suggests speed rather than overwhelming volume
- fill (one's mind)
simpler, less vivid way to express the same idea
Grammar Patterns
thoughts/memories/feelings crowd into + mind/head/consciousness
Usage Note
Commonly used with abstract subjects (thoughts, memories, doubts, fears, feelings) rather than concrete nouns. The mental space is usually referred to as the mind, head, thoughts, or consciousness.
Common Mistakes
2. when a large group of people enter a space that is small or limited, moving toge
when a large group of people enter a space that is small or limited, moving together at once.
When the doors opened, hundreds of fans crowded into the stadium to find their seats.
hundreds of people + crowd into + large venue still feeling full
The students crowded into the small classroom and sat on the floor for lack of chairs.
intransitive with 'into a small space'
Passengers crowded into the train carriage, squeezing past one another with their luggage.
with present participle: squeezing past
Fans crowded into the narrow street outside the concert hall, hoping to catch a glimpse of the band.
purpose clause: hoping to catch a glimpse
- crowd into a room
- crowd into a bus
- crowd into a lift
- crowd into the square
- crowd into the hall
- spread out
opposite direction of movement — away from each other rather than together
Grammar Patterns
people crowd into + space/location
Usage Note
Unlike sense 3, this sense is intransitive — the people themselves are the subject, not the object. The space is typically described as small, cramped, or limited to highlight the tight fit.
Common Mistakes
3. to force a large number of people or a large amount of things into a space that
to force a large number of people or a large amount of things into a space that is not big enough for them.
The tour guide crowded thirty tourists into a tiny minibus designed for twelve passengers.
transitive: guide crowded + tourists + into + tiny minibus
Mama Lin crowded all the vegetables into a small basket and carried it to the kitchen.
things as object: crowded + vegetables + into + basket
The organisers crowded too many chairs into the hall, leaving no space for people to walk.
result clause: leaving no space
The nurse crowded all the medicine bottles into one drawer and shut it quickly.
transitive with things as object; quick action
- crowd people into
- crowd things into
- crowd too many into
- crowd everything into
- crowd passengers into
- squeeze into
less formal, sounds more uncomfortable
- pack into
overlaps in meaning, but 'pack' can sound more organised
- jam into
more forceful, suggests things barely fit
- leave space
the opposite action — to not fill a space completely
Grammar Patterns
subject + crowd + object (people/things) + into + space
Usage Note
This is the only transitive sense of 'crowd into'. The subject is the person or organiser doing the packing, and the object is what gets packed. Without an object, use sense 2 instead.