like sardines

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A prominent member of the association of victims' families, Maria Karystianou, told reporters that relatives had been "packed like sardines".

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

At night, bedbugs nibbled at the 312 people laying like sardines on the floor of Namazi’s section of Ward 4.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Tens of thousands had gathered to see Liverpool FC parade the Premier League trophy and were, as one witness put it, "packed like sardines" on Water Street.

From BBC • May 27, 2025

The bloom currently wreaking havoc off the coast produces a neurotoxin called domoic acid, which accumulates in small fish like sardines and anchovies.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2025

And then we would be thrown in the paddy wagons, and sometimes we were stacked in there like sardines in a can.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry