herd 1 of 2

noun

ˈhərd How to pronounce herd (audio)
Definition of herdnext
1
as in flock
a group of domestic animals assembled or herded together the great herds of cattle that cowboys once drove across the plains

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in populace
the body of the community as contrasted with the elite aspire to achieve something, to distinguish yourself from the herd

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in throng
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

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herd

2 of 2

verb

as in to drive
to urge, push, or force onward the guards briskly herded us through the museum in order to prevent overcrowding

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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 herd
Noun
The department is urging livestock owners to wash their hands, disinfect equipment, limit access to animals and separate new additions to a flock or herd for at least 30 days. — Wcco Staff, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026 She’s surrounded by a herd of horses and dripping in confidence. — Robert Lang, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
After years of herding his state’s liberal cats, Newsom treats the new breed of progressive ideologues—New York mayor Zohran Mamdani being the exemplar—as Johnny-come-latelies. — Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 30 Sep. 2026 In a remote Somali pastoral village, two twelve-year-old boys, Waasuge and Warmooge, spend their days herding goats and playing. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for herd
Recent Examples of Synonyms for herd
  1. flock
  2. populace
  3. throng
  4. drive
  5. crowd
  6. swarm
  7. public
  8. horde
Noun
  • Large outbreaks force farms to cull their flocks to prevent the spread of the disease, diminishing the domestic supply of chickens and raising prices.
    — Joe Hernandez, NPR, 20 Oct. 2026
  • In September 2025, bird flu was found at turkey farms in Le Sueur, Blue Earth and Stearns counties, weeks after the state's first detection since April in a Redwood County flock.
    — WCCO Staff, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of flock
Noun
  • Despite Jack’s best efforts to bring Christmas cheer to the world, his gifts horrify the populace.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The decision was ultimately reversed by a New York Supreme Court judge, on the grounds that Warren violated the populace’s religious liberties.
    — Clare Whitton, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of populace
Noun
  • As for the happy throng of guests, the dress code was wide open to interpretation, from paillettes to pink marabou.
    — Laura Regensdorf, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Outside, a throng of revelers were waiting to navigate the same journey as Williams, McRae, and their respective entourages.
    — Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of throng
Verb
  • Zuckerberg and Wang want Muse Wonder and the more powerful Muse Wonder Full to drive Muse, Meta’s personal AI agent, which can act on people’s behalf.
    — Molly A. Wallace, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • To help banish the endless procrastination, National Geographic’s 2027 list of 25 must-visit destinations for the year ahead is one of its most timely and experience-driven recommendations yet.
    — Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of drive
Noun
  • Nugent has been in police custody since shortly after Haines was injured and a crowd of bystanders subdued him.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Suspect to face court on Wednesday Nugent has been in police custody since shortly after Haines was injured and a crowd of bystanders subdued him.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of crowd
Noun
  • There are a swarm of startups looking to use the technology to transform entertainment, but Anthropic, unlike SpaceX and OpenAI, has never spent resources on video or image models.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026
  • In the early eighteenth century, the village of Gais started attracting swarms of visitors, many from abroad, who wanted to sample Gaisschottenkur, a treatment featuring goat’s whey.
    — D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of swarm
Noun
  • Their software was open to inspection by parties, universities and watchdogs for 11 months before being digitally signed and sealed in public.
    — Solly Boussidan, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • And the late-night viewing public got to be a part of that process this week, thanks to Late Night With Seth Meyers.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of public
Noun
  • In July, a horde of OpenAI agents broke out of their sandboxes and worked together to launch a cyberattack on the AI company Hugging Face.
    — Harry Booth, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The report describes aggressive tactics in which hordes of solicitors sit on the phones all day, calling people to get them to refinance.
    — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of horde

Phrases Containing herd

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herculean
herd
herded
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Cite this Entry

“Herd.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herd. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about herd

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