SUBJECT | COLLECTIVE TERM | |
academics | A faculty of academics | |
accountants | A balance of accountants | Uncertain |
actors | A cast of actors | |
actors | A company of actors | |
anatomists | A corps of anatomists | Spurious |
arsonists | A conflagration of arsonists | |
athletes | A team of athletes | |
automobile dealers | A lot of automobile dealers | Spurious |
pipers | A poverty of pipers | |
barbers | A babble of barbers | Spurious |
barons | A thought of barons | |
beauties | A bevy of beauties | |
bookkeepers | An audit of bookkeepers | |
bureaucrats | A bloat of bureaucrats | Spurious |
bureaucrats | A shuffle of bureaucrats | |
cardiologists | A flutter of cardiologists | Spurious |
starlets | A galaxy of starlets | |
cobblers | A drunken ship of cobblers | |
courtiers | A threatening of courtiers | |
critics | A pan of critics | Spurious |
doctors | A doctrine of doctors | |
pupils | A dilation of pupils | Spurious |
employees | A staff of employees | |
engineers | A geek of engineers | Spurious |
secret agents | A bond of secret agents | Spurious |
experts | A panel of experts | |
fishermen | An exaggeration of fishermen | Spurious |
friars | A scull of friars | |
mourners | A cortege of mourners | |
geologists | A conglomerate of geologists | Spurious |
girls | A giggle of girls | |
goths | A pretense of goths | |
grandparents | A wisdom of grandparents | |
hackers | A cruft of hackers | Spurious |
harpers | A melody of harpers | |
hoodlums | A gang of hoodlums | |
horsemen | A cavalcade of horsemen | |
husbands | A multiply of husbands | |
idiots | A thicket of idiots | Spurious |
jugglers | A neverthriving of jugglers | |
knights | A banner of knights | |
knights | A rout of knights | |
ladies | A bevy of ladies | |
lawyers | A huddle of lawyers | |
lepers | A colony of lepers | |
librarians | A catalogue of librarians | Spurious |
men | A band of men | |
mathematicians | A number of mathematicians | |
mathematicians | A set of mathematicians | |
matrons | A riches of matrons | |
mechanics | A clutch of mechanics | Spurious |
meteorologists | A shower of meteorologists | Spurious |
misers | A horde of misers | Spurious |
monks | An abomination of monks (see note) | Spurious |
natives | A tribe of natives | |
nudists | A hangout of nudists | Spurious |
nuns | A superfluity of nuns | |
onlookers | A crowd of onlookers | |
orthodontists | A brace of orthodontists | Spurious |
painters | An illusion of painters | |
pathologists | A body of pathologists | Spurious |
performers | A troupe of performers | |
philosophers | A ponder of philosophers | |
physicists | A nucleus of physicists | Spurious |
theoretical physicists | A field of theoretical physicists | Spurious |
plumbers | A flush of plumbers | Spurious |
preachers | A converting of preachers | |
prelates | A pontifica of prelates | |
princes | A state of princes | |
programmers | An asylum of programmers | Spurious |
harlots | A heard of harlots | |
prostitutes | An anthology of prostitutes (see note) | Spurious |
psychoanalysts | A complex of psychoanalysts | Spurious |
relatives | A descent of relatives | Spurious |
scots | A disworship of scots | |
senators | A house of senators | |
servants | An obesiance of servants | |
sailors | A crew of sailors | |
soldiers | A brigade of soldiers | |
soldiers | A company of soldiers | |
soldiers | A division of soldiers | |
soldiers | A platoon of soldiers | |
soldiers | A squad of soldiers | |
stockbrokers | A portfolio of stockbrokers | Spurious |
strumpets | A blast of strumpets | Spurious |
students | A class of students | |
tailors | A disguising of tailors | |
thieves | A den of thieves | |
toddlers | A mine of toddlers | Spurious |
tourists | A flock of tourists | |
tree surgeons | A graft of tree surgeons | Spurious |
troops | A parel of troops | |
tubas (players) | A tumult of tubas (players) | Spurious |
vicaries (vicars) | A prudence of vicaries (vicars) | |
waiters | An indifference of waiters | Spurious |
whores | A snatch of whores | Spurious |
widows | An ambush of widows | Spurious |
witches | A coven of witches | |
women | A gaggle of women | |
worshipers | A congregation of worshipers | |
yeomen | A fellowship of yeomen | |
Notes:
The phrase "An abomination of monks" is frequently cited as a legitimate collective noun for monks. It is actually a misinterpretation of the title of a protestant treatise written by Jan Hus around 1400.
An "anthology of prostitutes" is a pun on "anthology of prose", as "pro" is a common contraction for prostitute in Britain and elsewhere.