herder

noun

herd·​er ˈhər-dər How to pronounce herder (audio)
: one that herds
specifically : a person who manages, breeds, or tends to livestock : herdsman sense 1

Examples of herder in a Sentence

the nomadic reindeer herders of Siberia live in reindeer-skin tents
Recent Examples on the Web That meant the pasture was poor so the animals couldn’t fatten themselves up before the winter, and herders couldn’t prepare enough hay to see them through. Helen Regan, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 Droughts cause forest wildfires At the same time, increasingly frequent and longer droughts are pushing poorer herders to range farther onto the mountain to save their cattle. Kang-Chun Cheng, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Dec. 2023 Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, anxiety and depression have sky-rocketed among members of this community — one of several semi-nomadic herder communities that tend to live off the land — especially the children. D. Parvaz, NPR, 4 Mar. 2024 Using archeological material, the researchers then connected the introduction of this gene into Northern Europe with cattle, goat and sheep herders from Russia who migrated west as far back as 5,000 years ago. Robert Pearl, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 The young woman follows him and other herders in their annual migration north to the sea. Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2024 With fresh green grass heralding the West Bank winter grazing season, extremists are seeking to prevent village-dwelling farmers and herders from grazing their flocks or reaching their farms – sparking an economic and security crisis. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Jan. 2024 What Is the Legend of the Reindeer? Whether they’re labeled as reindeer or caribou, however, the legend of Santa’s sleigh team seems to have emerged from a combination of Norse mythology, Dutch Christmas tales, and the real-world practices of nomadic reindeer herders in northern Scandinavia. Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 12 Dec. 2023 Renfrew reasoned that the dramatic spread of Indo-European languages must have required a bigger push than could be provided by contact with ragtag groups of nomadic herders. Kurt Kleiner, Discover Magazine, 16 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'herder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of herder was in 1635

Dictionary Entries Near herder

Cite this Entry

“Herder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/herder. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Biographical Definition

Herder

biographical name

Her·​der ˈher-dər How to pronounce Herder (audio)
Johann Gottfried von 1744–1803 German philosopher

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