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.

"If Ebola comes, we'll be wiped out as we're packed like sardines," Dorcas Mapenzi said at the Kingonze camp on the outskirts of Bunia, the provincial capital.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

With 32 men in a boat designed for 25, Short recalled, “it was like sardines in a tin.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

"They get huge volumes of cod liver oil, lard, salmon oil and get oily fish like sardines, mackerel and salmon."

From BBC • Jan. 21, 2025

It’s also a perfect recipe for creatures like sardines and anchovies, who feast on the diatoms, algae and phytoplankton in these cool, nutrient-rich waters.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2024

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