collective noun
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
collective noun
▶noun Grammar a count noun that denotes a group of individuals (e.g. assembly, family, crew).
usage: A collective noun can be used with either a singular verb (my family was always hard-working) or a plural verb (his family were disappointed in him). Generally speaking, in Britain it is more usual for collective nouns to be followed by a plural verb while in the US the opposite is true.
'collective noun' also found in these Oxford entries:
