variants
or phalanges
as in groups
formal
a large collection of people, animals, or things often placed close together
A solid phalanx of armed guards stood in front of the castle. She had to go through a phalanx of television cameras.
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Recent Examples of phalanxes
Jennifer Lawrence, who recently accessorized her black-and-white Lii dress with a slew of silver rings across her phalanges.
—
Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 19 Nov. 2025
In earlier times, ungulate toe-bones (phalanges) were commonly used across various cultures to make ornaments, game pieces, handles, and figurines.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2025
The further out one is known as the interphalangeal joint because your toe has two bones, the distal and the proximal phalanges.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phalanxes
Noun
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Israeli attacks weakened Iran’s regional armed proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollahwhile US strikes dealt significant damage to the country’s nuclear program, which the government spent billions to develop.—
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In other locations, particularly in southeastern Iran, rights groups said security forces fired directly at protesters in Zahedan after prayers, wounding several people.—
Noun
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According to the Defense official, the Army plans to ramp up training over the next year, eventually sending in platoons of some 40 soldiers at a time to train.—
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The white officers in the 24 companies overseeing the volunteer platoons were also initially skeptical.—
Noun
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A number of other Ukrainian brigades have created their own youth wings.—
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Fragmented response The response to the armed gangs in Haiti has been fragmented, with the government turning to private armed contractors and citizens setting up vigilante brigades.—
Noun
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The goal is cohesion, and using materials, shapes, and plant groupings that feel intentional—from the curb all the way to the front door.—
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When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.—
Noun
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The headliners will be joined by K-pop group Katseye; rock bands like Pierce the Veil, Geese, and Wet Leg; R&B stars Mariah the Scientist, Blood Orange, and Ravyn Lenae; and indie-pop faves Japanese Breakfast, King Princess, Audrey Hobert, and Rachel Chinouriri.—
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Its bra sizes range from 30–46 in bands and A–H in cups (up to 46DDD/42H), while loungewear, sleepwear, sportswear and underwear range from XS–4XL.—
Noun
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Reports now suggest that these batteries could last up to 40 years, four times longer than most current EV batteries.—
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But even without federal tax credits, solar, batteries and onshore wind are some of the cheapest and fastest forms of energy to install.—
Noun
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Inside, the last clusters of conversation continued over champagne and the remnants of that improbable charcuterie spread.—
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The advisory described clusters of poisoning cases around Monterey and the San Francisco Bay Area.—
Noun
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As of January 7, seven teams are looking for a new coach, including the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, and Arizona Cardinals.—
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That's not to mention the lower ranks where teams like James Madison or Tulane might find their way into the 12-team field, only to get obliterated in the playoff and lose their coaches and half their players to Power Five schools along the way.—
Cite this Entry
“Phalanxes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phalanxes. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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