What does brigading mean?
Brigading is the practice of coordinating a group of people to descend en masse on a specific target, most commonly an online post, thread, or voting mechanism. The term comes from 'brigade,' a military unit, and preserves that image of organized, directed force: just as a brigade moves as one body under orders, a brigading group acts in concert rather than as independent individuals. On platforms like Reddit, brigading typically involves members of one community being mobilized—often via shared links—to flood another community's content with downvotes, hostile comments, or reports, distorting what would otherwise be organic discussion. Because of this manipulative intent, the word carries a strongly negative connotation and appears frequently in moderation policies and platform rules designed to prevent it. The word is chiefly modern and informal-technical, though its literal ancestor described the historical act of organizing troops into brigades. Understanding 'brigading' is useful for anyone navigating online communities, where distinguishing organic backlash from orchestrated campaigns matters.
Coordinated action by a group of internet users who collectively target a post, thread, or vote to manipulate it or harass those involved.
"The site introduced new anti-brigading rules after a wave of cross-community raids."
Pejorative; common in platform-moderation contexts.
Present participle of 'brigade': to organize into brigades, or to coordinate such a group action online.
"Users suspected the rival forum of brigading the poll overnight."
A word borrowed straight from battlefield tactics now names the internet's favorite form of mob justice—one upvote brigade at a time.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of brigading
'Brigading' derives from the verb 'to brigade,' formed from the noun 'brigade,' which entered English in the seventeenth century from French 'brigade.' The French term likely traces to Italian 'brigata' (company of soldiers), from 'brigare' (to contend or brawl), related to 'briga' (strife), which also gives English 'brigand' and 'brigandage.' The military verb meant to organize troops into brigades; by the early twenty-first century the gerund had acquired its dominant internet sense of coordinated group action against an online target.
How brigading is actually used
Almost always pejorative in modern usage; strongly associated with Reddit-style platforms where communities police cross-linking to avoid it. The literal military sense is rare and largely historical. Often used attributively as 'vote brigading.'
Easily confused with brigading
'Bragging' means boastfully talking about one's achievements, while 'brigading' refers to organizing a group for collective action, especially coordinated online interference.