flock
flock — noun
1. any set of animals that are alike — like birds or sheep — and stay together in a
any set of animals that are alike — like birds or sheep — and stay together in a group
A flock of sheep was crossing the road, so the driver had to stop.
Sirin counted at least fifty birds in the flock flying overhead.
The shepherd led his flock down the mountain before the snow arrived.
A large flock of geese landed in the field near Tunde's house.
用法筆記
Flock is used for birds and for herd animals like sheep and goats; for cattle, use herd instead.
常見錯誤
2. a crowd of people who share a characteristic, such as following the same leader
a crowd of people who share a characteristic, such as following the same leader or regularly attending the same church
A flock of tourists gathered at the museum entrance, waiting for the doors to open.
The pastor welcomed the flock to Sunday service with a warm smile.
church congregation: the pastor + the flock
A flock of reporters followed the politician as she walked to her car.
The entire flock of volunteers worked together to clean up the park after the storm.
- crowd
a large group of people without any special bond, more neutral in tone
- congregation
specifically a church group gathered for worship
- gathering
more general, can be smaller and less formal
用法筆記
When used for a church congregation, the flock is the group of members, and the pastor or priest is the shepherd. This metaphor comes directly from Noun sense 1.
常見錯誤
3. short fibers or soft shreds of material used as stuffing for cushions and chairs
short fibers or soft shreds of material used as stuffing for cushions and chairs, or glued onto a surface to give it a velvety, textured decoration
The cushion was stuffed with cotton flock to make it soft and comfortable.
Beatrix chose wallpaper with a dark green flock pattern for her study.
flock pattern on wallpaper
Flock is often used inside chair seats to give them a plush feel.
The craft store sells flock in various colors for DIY decoration projects.
用法筆記
This sense has a different historical origin from the animal-group sense — it comes from Latin floccus (tuft of wool), not Old English flocc (group).
flock — verb
1. to go or arrive somewhere in large numbers at the same time, often because somet
to go or arrive somewhere in large numbers at the same time, often because something is popular or interesting
Fans flocked to the stadium hours before the concert started.
flock to + place
When the new store opened, customers flocked in from all over the city.
flock in (phrasal direction)
Every summer, tourists flock to the beaches along the coast of Portugal.
After the article was published, readers flocked to the website to leave comments.
- disperse
to move apart in different directions, the opposite of gathering together
文法句型
flock to + place
flock in/down/into
用法筆記
Frequently used with the preposition to (flock to a place) or directional adverbs like in, into, together. The subject is usually a large number of people or animals.
常見錯誤
2. to apply short soft fibers to a surface using glue or another adhesive, creating
to apply short soft fibers to a surface using glue or another adhesive, creating a velvety or patterned finish for decoration
The artisan flocked the inside of the jewelry box with red velvet fibers.
Felipe learned how to flock fabric at a weekend craft workshop.
The old theatre walls were flocked with dark red material for a rich look.
Mira flocked a plain wooden frame with gold fibers for her art project.
文法句型
be flocked with + material
用法筆記
This is a specialized craft term, most often encountered in DIY or interior design contexts. The past participle flocked is very common as an adjective (flocked wallpaper, flocked fabric).