as in shepherd
a tender of livestock
a lone herdsman stood with his sheep and his dog on the hillside
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Recent Examples of herdsman
Probably the one that’s best known is the one about how Philomelus, a young, impoverished farmer and herdsman, struggled to push his plow through his fields.
—
Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 7 Sep. 2025
Its official designation stems from the simple fact that its radiant — the point from which its meteors appear to approach Earth — is situated in the constellation Bootes, the herdsman, which can be found above the western horizon in late June.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 27 June 2025
Softly came the sound of a Toda herdsman calling to his buffaloes.
—Cyril E. Holland, Outdoor Life, 8 May 2025
Even as the country became Buddhist in the 16th century, the herdsmen found solace in its reassuring rituals and its promise of contact with the spirit world.
—Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for herdsman
Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 7 Sep. 2025
Its official designation stems from the simple fact that its radiant — the point from which its meteors appear to approach Earth — is situated in the constellation Bootes, the herdsman, which can be found above the western horizon in late June.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 27 June 2025
Softly came the sound of a Toda herdsman calling to his buffaloes.
—Cyril E. Holland, Outdoor Life, 8 May 2025
Even as the country became Buddhist in the 16th century, the herdsmen found solace in its reassuring rituals and its promise of contact with the spirit world.
—Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for herdsman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for herdsman
Noun
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Karyn Cordner’s Raven, a five-year-old black German shepherd with a soft coat of fur, was being trained to become a guide dog by the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation in Bloomfield when the Simsbury resident first met her.—
Mikayla Bunnell,
Hartford Courant,
11 Apr. 2026
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But some of the stars were Tutti Frutti (German shepherd, adopted); Grapes (another German shepherd, adopted); Catfinated Beverage (orange tabby, adopted); Beep Beep (Australian cattle dog, adopted); Spatula (whippet, adopted); and Lawn Mower the French bulldog (adopted).—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There are also disputes over land and grazing between mostly Muslim Fulani herders and largely Christian farming communities frequently escalate into deadly clashes in the north-central and northwestern part of the country.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
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These descendants of Kazakh nomadic herders, who once moved freely across the steppe with their animals, now speak of staying put as a mark of strength rather than constraint.—
Magdalena Stawkowski,
The Conversation,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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His father was the fourth generation in a long line of gentlemen ranchers—weekend cowboys who’d made their fortune in Austin as attorneys for large oil companies, but whose identity was still tied to the thousands of acres that the family owned near Marfa.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
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Like cowboy butter, these are so aromatic too, and that little bit of punch from the mustard is great.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Herdsman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herdsman. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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