as in shepherd
a tender of livestock
a lone herdsman stood with his sheep and his dog on the hillside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 herdsman
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
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
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
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
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
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
-
In a leafy New Jersey suburb, Baratta set out to coax Barley, a mix of pit bull, beagle and shepherd, into the afternoon air with a wind chill pushing the temperature down into the 20s.—
Cathy Bussewitz,
Fortune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Cellphone footage shows Zack holding the leash of an exceptionally docile German shepherd while ordering his uninvited guests to leave.—
Rich Schapiro,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
An Eskimo herder and I went up on a ridge and counted nine wolves about two miles from us.—
Frank Glaser,
Outdoor Life,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Attacks in Plateau State are part of a long-running cycle of violence in north-central Nigeria, where disputes over land and grazing between mostly Muslim Fulani herders and largely Christian farming communities frequently escalate into deadly clashes.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
With horses to ride, fish to catch, and hearty cowboy meals to devour, there’s no time for screens on a dude ranch vacation.—
Julie Bielenberg,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Neither the bull nor the cowboy gave in, and they were buried together, so the song goes.—
Josh Crutchmer,
Rolling Stone,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Herdsman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herdsman. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
