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

These herds continuously loop across the Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania and the Maasai Mara in Kenya, driven by ancient instincts to follow seasonal rainfall and fresh grazing. — Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Grazing companies say annual wage costs could jump to about $240,000 per herder, forcing some to liquidate herds or shut down. — Ruyuan Li. Story Produced With Ai Assistance, Sacbee.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Pictures of the Channel Islands in the 1980s, after an analogous period of protection from human and otter predation, show huge herds of black abalone, shell to shell, covering patches of the tidepool like floor tiling. — Literary Hub, 29 July 2026

Silbiger’s portfolio is a reflective combination of classic American motifs like Saguaro cacti and herds of bison, and odd roadside attractions like the inflatable Maine lobster. — Sarah Silbiger, CNN Money, 25 July 2026

Sit outside your ger and watch daily life unfold as herds of horses, goats, and sheep gather at a nearby well. — Undraa Buyannemekh, Travel + Leisure, 22 July 2026

Why doesn’t the growth in beef prices cause ranchers to buy more cows or raise more cows and build their herds? — David Frum, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026

So municipal governments and homeowners associations have started paying ranchers to let their herds feed on local fields. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 18 July 2026

There’s also not enough young labor to take over those operations and their herds. — Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026

Verb

Max tells him to put it down, releasing Zack in exchange, then picks up the gun himself, herds all four Bowdens into the kitchen, and makes Natalie bind her parents' wrists with plastic restraints. — Jp Mangalindan, Time, 31 July 2026

The father gently herds his family toward her glass booth. — Joseph Trinidad, Longreads, 16 June 2026

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