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
Masud was celebrated as the literary voice of greater Arabia’s nomadic herdsmen—proud sons of the desert, a noble caste of unhurried sybarites not known for their religious orthodoxy.
—
Nell Zink, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
In 1997, Thimphu told Beijing that Tibetan herdsmen had been intruding into the Jakarlung valley and even constructed sheds there, according to Bhutan’s National Assembly records cited by Barnett.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
Unlike the Islamic extremists that staged the Chibok kidnappings, the deadly criminal gangs terrorizing villages in northwestern Nigeria are mostly former herdsmen who were in conflict with farming host communities, according to authorities.
—Chinedu Asadu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2024
Moreover, an annual migration of people and cattle that regularly leads to tension between nomadic herdsmen and the area's year-round residents recently began.
—Rebecca Hamilton, Foreign Affairs, 20 Jan. 2011
See All Example Sentences for herdsman
Nell Zink, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
In 1997, Thimphu told Beijing that Tibetan herdsmen had been intruding into the Jakarlung valley and even constructed sheds there, according to Bhutan’s National Assembly records cited by Barnett.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
Unlike the Islamic extremists that staged the Chibok kidnappings, the deadly criminal gangs terrorizing villages in northwestern Nigeria are mostly former herdsmen who were in conflict with farming host communities, according to authorities.
—Chinedu Asadu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2024
Moreover, an annual migration of people and cattle that regularly leads to tension between nomadic herdsmen and the area's year-round residents recently began.
—Rebecca Hamilton, Foreign Affairs, 20 Jan. 2011
See All Example Sentences for herdsman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for herdsman
Noun
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Scar, a blue merle Australian shepherd, was trained by his owner to be a medical alert and light mobility service dog.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Zuriguel and his colleagues worked with a shepherd in the mountains outside the city of Zaragoza to run a hundred sheep at a time through a doorway to receive food on the other side.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In April, gunmen believed to be Muslim herders, killed at least 40 people, including children, in a predominantly Christian farming village, the Associated Press reported.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
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The final clip cuts to Winnie inside a pen, balancing gleefully on top of a group of sheep, appearing more companion than herder.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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McGuane’s cowboys lose fights—for women, for their ranches, for their dreams—and tend to know when they’ve been beaten.—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
30 Oct. 2025
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The Call Me By Your Name actor plays an outlaw among a group of travelers in the Old West who team up with a cowboy named Merrick Beckford (Myles Clohessy) on a dangerous journey.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Herdsman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herdsman. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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