Synonyms of herds

herds 1 of 2

noun

plural of herd

1

as in flocks

a group of domestic animals assembled or herded together

the great herds of cattle that cowboys once drove across the plains

Synonyms & Similar Words

• flocks
• swarms
• droves
• schools
• colonies
• pods
• coveys
• gaggles
• packs
• plumps

2

as in masses

the body of the community as contrasted with the elite

aspire to achieve something, to distinguish yourself from the herd

Synonyms & Similar Words

• masses
• populaces
• crowds
• publics
• people
• millions
• mobs
• commoners
• commons
• multitudes
• cattle
• plebes
• plebeians
• rank and files
• rabbles
• hoi polloi
• proletariats
• scums
• routs
• riffraffs
• rabblements
• tag, rag, and bobtails
• unwasheds
• ragtag and bobtails
• middle classes
• bourgeoisies
• trash

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• elites
• flowers
• fat
• elect
• creams
• choices
• aristocracies
• pinks
• A-lists
• upper crusts
• societies
• picks
• prides
• best
• qualities
• nobilities
• royalties
• gentlefolks
• gentilities
• corps d'elite
• patriciates
• gentries
• peerages
• haute mondes

3

as in swarms

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

• flocks
• swarms
• throngs
• hordes
• crowds
• masses
• multitudes
• legions
• masses
• armies
• mobs
• bikes
• droves
• millions
• hosts
• routs
• crushes
• presses
• crams
• rabbles
• riffraffs
• piles
• rabblements
• scrums
• gaggles
• mountains
• heaps
• jams
• logjams

herds

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of herd

as in drives

to urge, push, or force onward

the guards briskly herded us through the museum in order to prevent overcrowding

Synonyms & Similar Words

• drives
• runs
• shepherds
• punches
• eggs
• whips
• spurs
• pricks
• hounds
• prods
• presses
• prompts
• exhorts
• wrangles
• goads
• scourges
• flogs

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of herds

Noun

Bovine tuberculosis, a bacterial disease impact all mammals, was detected in two cattle herds in two northern Michigan counties, state officials said on Monday. —Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026

The Eastern Colorado prairie was once carpeted with a mix of hardy grasses, flowering plants, and small shrubs that supported great herds of bison and pronghorn, abundant prairie dog colonies, predators like coyotes, foxes, and badgers, as well as numerous bird species, reptiles, and insects. —Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2026

On the Base — the area above the sheer cliffs that encircle Tristan and below Queen Mary’s Peak — a group herds sheep down from the mountain. —NPR, 4 Apr. 2026

Wolves exert strong influence on the caribou herds, especially young caribou. —Frank Glaser, Outdoor Life, 1 Apr. 2026

Horses, donkeys, camels, and herds and flocks of other livestock die from the pestilence. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026

The lack of rain has forced them to cut back on cattle herds or sell out altogether. —Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 26 Mar. 2026

The elders will die, abandoned by their children, and their reindeer will be slaughtered or absorbed into bigger industrial-sized herds. —Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026

Incorporating these bills in the farm bill would give farmers a chance to build their herds and stop corporations from taking critical resources from them. —Anthony Pahnke, Boston Herald, 23 Mar. 2026

Verb

However, one quick look at what companies like Boston Dynamics has achieved with robots like the rather creepy dog-like ‘Spot,’ who herds sheep in New Zealand, and the possibilities seem endless. —Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026