herd 1 of 2

noun

ˈhərd How to pronounce herd (audio)
Definition of herdnext
1
as in flock
a group of domestic animals assembled or herded together the great herds of cattle that cowboys once drove across the plains

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in populace
the body of the community as contrasted with the elite aspire to achieve something, to distinguish yourself from the herd

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in throng
a great number of persons or things massed together gearing up for the herd of holiday shoppers at the mall on the day after Thanksgiving

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herd

2 of 2

verb

as in to drive
to urge, push, or force onward the guards briskly herded us through the museum in order to prevent overcrowding

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of herd
Noun
The department is urging livestock owners to wash their hands, disinfect equipment, limit access to animals and separate new additions to a flock or herd for at least 30 days. — Wcco Staff, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026 She’s surrounded by a herd of horses and dripping in confidence. — Robert Lang, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
After years of herding his state’s liberal cats, Newsom treats the new breed of progressive ideologues—New York mayor Zohran Mamdani being the exemplar—as Johnny-come-latelies. — Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 30 Sep. 2026 In a remote Somali pastoral village, two twelve-year-old boys, Waasuge and Warmooge, spend their days herding goats and playing. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for herd
Recent Examples of Synonyms for herd
  1. flock
  2. populace
  3. throng
  4. drive
  5. crowd
  6. swarm
  7. public
  8. horde
Noun
  • The pastor has either abandoned his aging flock or has been murdered, possibly by his wife, Hermana Romie (Evelina Fernández).
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • November 3 will undoubtedly mark a turning point not just for this new flock of Democrats hoping to descend on Washington in January, but also for a White House that has sought to alter the fabric of the country and its relationship with the world.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of flock
Noun
  • Sure, in 1854, the first prepacked box of Whitman's chocolates was introduced, guaranteeing to the American populace a standard of staleness, of flavorlessness, for years to come.
    — Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The idea is that voting is not the only way to drive change; demonstration is considered a bedrock value, a way to make elites hear the populace and to defend freedoms.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of populace
Noun
  • Salem is a vibrant, thriving, bustling city, attracting throngs of tourists in the autumn.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Guests of the hotel have a special opportunity to visit the villa privately, away from the throngs of tourists that visit from near and far.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of throng
Verb
  • Pratt, a 22-year-old rookie whose go-ahead hit sparked the Brewers to a 5-4 win in Game 2, drove a slider into the left-field seats against Seymour.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • In recent years, General Motors has consistently sought to demonstrate that its investments in autonomous driving systems and software services can yield high margin revenue and open new growth frontiers.
    — , CNBC, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of drive
Noun
  • Tim Buchanan, a legendary Aledo football head coach and Republican, also addressed Hinojosa’s roughly 250-person crowd Tuesday night.
    — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The fall shift to standard time already brings dozens more cars to the drive-in through December, and making the change permanent could help accommodate bigger crowds year-round.
    — Lila Hempel-Edgers, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of crowd
Noun
  • There are a swarm of startups looking to use the technology to transform entertainment, but Anthropic, unlike SpaceX and OpenAI, has never spent resources on video or image models.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026
  • In the early eighteenth century, the village of Gais started attracting swarms of visitors, many from abroad, who wanted to sample Gaisschottenkur, a treatment featuring goat’s whey.
    — D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of swarm
Noun
  • Their software was open to inspection by parties, universities and watchdogs for 11 months before being digitally signed and sealed in public.
    — Solly Boussidan, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • And the late-night viewing public got to be a part of that process this week, thanks to Late Night With Seth Meyers.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of public
Noun
  • Speaking to hordes of mostly young fans at his Masterclass and later at a press conference and multiple one-on-one interviews, the indefatigable filmmaker reflected on the current state of affairs in the world.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 24 Oct. 2026
  • In July, a horde of OpenAI agents broke out of their sandboxes and worked together to launch a cyberattack on the AI company Hugging Face.
    — Harry Booth, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of horde

Phrases Containing herd

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herculean
herd
herded
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Cite this Entry

“Herd.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herd. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about herd

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