Collective nouns for people

SUBJECT	COLLECTIVE TERM	STATUS
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 flourish of strumpets	√
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.

Referenced By