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

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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
Long winters can also devastate deer herds by pushing a deer’s fat stores to its limits, as landowners and managers saw after the winter of 2022 to 2023. — Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 24 Sep. 2026 Will Harris, a fourth-generation cattle farmer and owner of White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia, told Fox News Digital that years of financial pressure have contributed to farmers reducing their herds. — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Verb
Politicians don’t control the conversation, or the attention economy, and neither do the traditional outlets that used to herd this stuff. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026 The father-daughter duo has set up shop ensconced in the woods, herding donkeys and so far evading the violence closing in on them from the outside. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 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
  • Kramer thanked YouTube native Parsons for his film Backroom, which helped energize young audiences, and also noted how the youth demographic flocks to Academy screenings of classic cinema.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
  • On May 24, 2023, the trio, who belong to a group called Animal Rising, approached Appleton Farm on the Sandringham estate and climbed over a low electric fence to gain access to the flock.
    — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of flock
Noun
  • The decision was ultimately reversed by a New York Supreme Court judge, on the grounds that Warren violated the populace’s religious liberties.
    — Clare Whitton, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The entire populace is beholden to Billy’s stepmom, Zoe Macon (Poorna Jagannathan), their resident Manhunter in hiding.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of populace
Noun
  • Pawlikowski accepted his statuette from Chiwetel Ejiofor and Nicole Kidman, wiped his brow, and addressed the shining throng.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Leo's visit to Paris came as a birthday present for Jean-Claude Farnabe, who turned 63 on Saturday and spent the morning securing a spot amid the throngs of people.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of throng
Verb
  • The nation's flood insurance program struggles to balance affordability, flood protection and cost to taxpayers, leaving millions vulnerable at a time when climate change is driving flood risk higher.
    — MICHAEL PHILLIS, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
  • These, then collided with boron nuclei and helped drive the fusion reaction rate beyond 100 million reactions per second.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of drive
Noun
  • Faraway Sag Harbor began welcoming guests in June 2026, just in time for peak Hamptons crowds.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026
  • This can aid, of course, in forecasting crowds and park staffing, but is also intended to limit days in which the park can feel overcrowded.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of crowd
Noun
  • The allied soldiers performed well in a scenario that mimicked previous conflicts with limited air threats, but their systems were not designed for the large drone swarms of modern combat.
    — Dan Driscoll, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2026
  • First, OpenAI revealed that a swarm of its experimental AI models broke out of a testing environment and hacked another AI platform, Hugging Face, without human direction or knowledge.
    — Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of swarm
Noun
  • The pool distributes in-person reports and imagery to the broader press corps and is designed to hold the nation’s chief executive accountable on behalf of the American public.
    — Sarah Rankin, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
  • According to recent survey data from polling firm Forsa, merely 11% of the German public currently expresses satisfaction with his performance in office.
    — , CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of public
Noun
  • The twentieth century industrialized advisory through hordes of ambitious young graduates and an apprenticeship model that allowed advice to be sold by those with much less viabexperience.
    — Albert Mikkelsen, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Outside of Hotel Chelsea, hordes of fans greeted this season’s cast, who have made the long-running series a cult favorite.
    — Lauren Sanchez, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of horde

Phrases Containing herd

Browse Nearby Words

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 4 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on herd

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about herd

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