plural hoardings
1
a
: the practice of collecting or accumulating something (such as money or food)
The hoarding and misuse of resources was uncommon even in times of natural disaster …—
Tanvi Nagpal
Tanvi Nagpal
b
: something that is hoarded
—usually plural
Inside the net with us was a large brown paper bag, spewing forth the Halloween hoardings of the child in the gorilla suit …—John Irving
John Irving2
psychology
: the compulsion to continually accumulate a variety of items that are often considered useless or worthless by others accompanied by an inability to discard the items without great distress
Hoarding is marked by an overwhelming desire to collect items and an inability to discard things that may seem useless, to such a point that the collections cause stress and start impacting a person's health, career or relationships.—Erin Allday
Erin AlldayPeople justify hoarding as curating and recycling, deeming odd objects beautiful and useful.—Peter D. Kramer
see also hoarding disorder
Peter D. Kramer
plural hoardings
1
: a temporary board fence put about a building being erected or repaired
called also hoard
2
British
: billboard
Examples of hoarding in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Paul Newman, New York Times, 10 July 2025
Around 250,000 animals annually are victims of hoarding, often kept in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025
When the 25-year-old was in the middle of serving it out, a breeze picked up and blew hats, paper, and even some of the foam rubber from the hoardings onto the court.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
Her hoarding, inextricable from her OCD, stemmed from an obsessional fear of forgetting.
—Andrew Kay, Harpers Magazine, 28 May 2025
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Noun
Not just any old slope, but one that drops fully 2.5 metres (8ft 2in) from the Grandstand on the north side of the ground across to the Tavern and Mound Stands to the south — the advertising hoardings in the lead image on this article show the gradient perfectly.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 10 July 2025
Around 250,000 animals annually are victims of hoarding, often kept in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025
When the 25-year-old was in the middle of serving it out, a breeze picked up and blew hats, paper, and even some of the foam rubber from the hoardings onto the court.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
Her hoarding, inextricable from her OCD, stemmed from an obsessional fear of forgetting.
—Andrew Kay, Harpers Magazine, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoarding
Cite this Entry
“Hoarding.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hoarding. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
hoarding
noun
hoard·ing
ˈhȯrd-iŋ 
: the compulsion to continually accumulate a variety of items that are often considered useless or worthless by others accompanied by an inability to discard the items without great distress
Hoarding is marked by an overwhelming desire to collect items and an inability to discard things that may seem useless, to such a point that the collections cause stress and start impacting a person's health, career or relationships.—Erin Allday
Erin AlldayPeople justify hoarding as curating and recycling, deeming odd objects beautiful and useful.—Peter D. Kramer
see hoarding disorder
Peter D. KramerLove words? Need even more definitions?
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