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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
Knowing that herd bulls often circle their harems to keep intruders away, Snyder knelt and waited. — Rich Larocco, Outdoor Life, 2 Nov. 2026 Settlers descend, including on ATVs and with herds of sheep that graze on Palestinian land, and intimidate residents in incidents routinely filmed. — Suheir Hashimeh, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 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
  • Along with the sandwich shop, the Donners have a flock of chickens and 3 acres for growing fresh produce at home, leaving spare time in short supply.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 11 Nov. 2026
  • In that case, investigators determined the aircraft hit a flock of birds.
    — Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of flock
Noun
  • Paraguay’s president was removed from office and detained after the country’s largest digital bank melted down, leaving half the populace without access to funds and plunging the country into a political crisis.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Ultimately, both experts agreed that public-private partnerships and emerging technology like AI are countries’ best bets at enabling affordable, high-quality healthcare for its populace.
    — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of populace
Noun
  • For now, and despite planned protests, the Louvre remains open, and visitors can try to catch a glimpse of the Mona Lisa in the good company of other Da Vinci paintings and throngs of selfie-wielding tourists.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 9 Nov. 2026
  • Under cloudy, windy skies, throngs of people lined Leo’s motorcade route along Montevideo’s waterfront, with huge crowds cheering as his open-sided popemobile brought him into town for his first events.
    — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of throng
Verb
  • When the single mother of two was without a car to drive her son, senior Daijon Overton, from his home in Woodlawn to school in Morgan Park, the coach stepped in for the right tackle, Bush said.
    — Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Her husband instructed their 13-year-old son to drive his three siblings to a nearby relative's home.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of drive
Noun
  • At lunchtime and in the evenings, its covered gravel patio with 13 tables draws a full crowd of parents with young kids and a few older folks, most of whom Donner has gotten to know quite well.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Three people were killed and others were injured when a minivan hit a crowd of street vendors and pedestrians in North Hollywood on Tuesday evening, authorities said.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of crowd
Noun
  • On Friday evening, swarms of Dolly Parton lookalikes took over the East Village for The Frankie Shop and Unemployed’s fourth annual Halloween bash.
    — Simone Cook, Vogue, 1 Nov. 2026
  • The Southern and Northern Taurids are part of the broader Taurid Meteoroid Complex, a vast swarm of interplanetary dust, rocks, comets and asteroids thought to be related to Encke.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of swarm
Noun
  • The last of its kind in the country, the event is held twice a year and open to a paying public.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The potential collision point between opposition oversight from Democrats and the Republican president’s preoccupation with the projects was evident in his last message to the American public before the election — and in his first afterward, too.
    — Gary Fields, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of public
Noun
  • The Beatles clearly had in mind old newsreel footage of the Führer and the Duce greeting their hordes.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Instead of headline-making beefs that stand the test of time, today’s critics might be the subject of a petulant DM or a horde-summoning quote tweet.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of horde

Phrases Containing herd

Browse Nearby Words

herculean
herd
herded
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Herd.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herd. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on herd

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about herd

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of lissome

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All