List of Important Collective Nouns for Competitive Exams | 100 + Most Important Collective Nouns List

Collective noun is a subcategory of the part of speech Noun.

The collective nouns are truly important for the upcoming competitive exams.

List of Collective Nouns

The collective nouns are used to indicate a collection of persons, animals or things treated and spoken together as a whole.
Some examples of collective nouns which are important for exams:

List of Collective Nouns Denoting a Group of People:

An army of soldiers.
An assembly of listeners.
A band of musicians.
A band of pilgrims.
A bevy of ladies/girls/women.
A class of students.
A board of directors.
A choir of singers.
A company of boys.
A crew of sailors.
A crowd of people/spectators.
The council of ministers.
A flock of tourists.
A gang of robbers.
A gang of thieves.
A gang of coolies.
A gang of labourers.
A pack of thieves.
A panel of judges/experts.
A regiment of soldiers.
A staff of employees.
A team of players.
A troupe of dancers/actors/acrobats.
A troop of soldiers.
A troop of policemen.
A troop of actors.
A tribe of natives.

Read more: List of Singular and Plural number.

List of Collective Nouns Denoting Groups of Animals:

An army of ants.
A colony of ants.
A cloud of bats.
A flock of sheep/goat.
A flock of birds. 
A flight of birds.
A herd of cows. 
A herd of deer. 
A herd of elephants. 
A host of sparrows.
A hive of bees.
A swarm of bees.
A swarm of flies/locust/insects.
A kennel of dogs.
A litter of puppies/kittens/cubs.
A gaggle of geese.
A murder of crows.
A pride of lions.
A pride of peacocks.
A parliament of owls.
A school of fish/dolphin.
A pack of wolves. 
A shoal of fishes. 
A troop of monkeys. 
A team of horses/ducks/oxen.
A covey of quails. 

Read more: One-word Substitution for places.

List of Collective Nouns Denoting Groups of Non-living Things:

An album of photographs /autographs /stamps.
A batch of cookies.
A bouquet of flowers.
A bunch of keys.
A bunch of grapes.
A bunch of plantains. 
A bunch of flowers.
A bundle of sticks.
A bundle of papers.
A bundle of clothes.
A cloud of dust.
A fleet of ships. 
A forest of trees.
A galaxy of stars.
A group of islands.
A hedge of bushes.
A heap of ruins.
A heap of ashes. 
A library of books.
A pack of cards.
A pile of books.
A pile of papers 
A row of trees.
A sheaf of paddy.
A stack of wood.
A stack of hay.
A stack of corn.
A shower of rain.
A stream of bananas.
A stock of goods.
A string of pearls.
A tuft of hair.
A series of events. 
A range of mountain.
A pair of shoes.
A wad of notes.


Read more: Rules to use '-ing' with a verb.

Different Collective Nouns for the Same Common Noun:

Common Nouns	Collective Nouns	Context / Example
People	Group, crowd, mob, queue, throng, procession, gathering, multitude, colony, concourse, corporation, delegation, congregation, posse, retinue.	A team of engineers worked late. A throng of people filled the street. A corporation of people managed the company.
Birds	Flock, flight, volary, dissimulation, parcel.	A flight of swallows passed overhead. A dissimulation of birds (rare, literary).
Cattle / Cows	Herd, drove, mob, team (of oxen).	A herd of cattle grazed in the field.
Dogs	Pack, kennel, cry (of hounds), leash, mute (of hounds).	A pack of wild dogs was spotted nearby.
Wolves	Pack, rout, route.	A pack of wolves surrounded the deer.
Fish	School, shoal, draft, run.	A school of fish darted away quickly.
Ships	Fleet, armada, flotilla, convoy.	An armada of ships approached the shore.
Soldiers	Army, battalion, platoon, troop, regiment, squad, company.	A battalion was deployed to the border.
Bees	Swarm, hive, cluster, grist, drift.	A swarm of bees attacked the hikers.
Ants	Colony, army, swarm.	An army of ants crossed the path.
Lions	Pride, troop.	A pride of lions rested under a tree.
Elephants	Herd, parade, memory.	A parade of elephants marched through town.
Horses	Team, string, stud, herd, troop.	A string of polo horses was led into the stable.
Buffalo	Herd, gang, obstinacy.	A herd of buffalo roamed freely.
Kangaroos	Mob, troop, court.	A mob of kangaroos jumped across the road.
Cats	Clowder, glaring, pounce, kindle (for kittens).	A clowder of cats gathered near the barn.
Monkeys	Troop, barrel, cartload.	A troop of monkeys invaded the village.
Geese	Gaggle (on land), skein (in flight), wedge (in V-formation).	A skein of geese flew overhead in a V shape.
Snakes	Nest, pit, den, bed.	A den of snakes was found under the rock.
Cards	Pack, deck, hand, suit.

Same Collective Nouns Used for Different Common Nouns:

Collective Nouns	Common Nouns	Context / Example
Flock	Birds, sheep, goats, pigeons.	A flock of sheep moved down the road. A flock of tourists crowded the monument.
Herd	Cattle, elephants, deer, buffalo, antelope, horses.	A herd of elephants crossed the river.
Pack	Wolves, dogs, hounds, cards, mules.	A pack of wolves hunted together. He told a pack of lies.
Group	People, students, islands, dancers, stars, animals.	A group of islands lies in the Pacific.
Bunch	Grapes, bananas, flowers, keys, people (informal), thoughts.	A bunch of bananas hung on the tree.
Swarm	Bees, ants, flies, locusts, wasps, people (figurative).	A swarm of bees chased the boy. A swarm of fans rushed the stage.
Shoal	Fish, mackerel, sardines, herring, sandbanks (geographical).	A shoal of fish glittered in the sunlight.
School	Fish, dolphins, whales, thought (figurative: "school of thought").	A school of dolphins swam past the boat.
Mob	People (angry), kangaroos.	A mob of kangaroos hopped by. A mob stormed the palace.
Band	Musicians, soldiers, robbers, pilgrims, gorillas.	A band of gorillas was spotted in the forest.
Troop	Soldiers, scouts, monkeys, dancers.	A troop of scouts went camping.
Army	Soldiers, ants, caterpillars, frogs (figurative).	An army of ants invaded the kitchen.
Nest	Birds, snakes, mice, wasps, vipers.	A nest of vipers lay hidden in the rocks.
Colony	Ants, bees, rabbits, bacteria, people (settlers).	A colony of ants built a large mound.
Gaggle	Geese (on land), women (slang/dated, informal), children (informal).	A gaggle of geese waddled across the yard.

Is a collective noun singular or is it plural?

A collective noun may be a singular or a plural depending on the context of the sentence.

1.  A collective noun is a singular noun and is followed by a singular verb if it is used as a single body or group.

• The jury is still out. Or, the jury was unanimous in its decision.
• The family is living together now

2.  A collective nouns is used as a plural noun and is followed by a plural verb if they are used as individuals.

• The jury were divided in their opinions.
• The family were living in different places.

3.  Gentry, Clergy, Peasantry, People, audience, cattle, majority, folk etc. are some collective nouns that are always plural.

• The people are happy with the performance of the Government.
• The majority of the customers prefer it.

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