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

Relevance
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

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

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 herds
Noun
The genomic data from the samples of mink lungs and brains sent from Utah to a USDA lab shows that the mink were stricken with the same strain of the virus that has spread in dairy herds. — Nat Lash, ProPublica, 23 Oct. 2026 Better vaccines can keep outbreaks from destroying herds and flocks, protect food production, and reduce opportunities for pathogens to spread to people. — Robert Kelly, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026 Driving sheep herds into Palestinian communities Mordehai Minster, who cofounded a sheep farm in the West Bank, is a new type of Israeli settler. — Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 11 Oct. 2026 Serious safari-goers can also take day trips to Hwange National Park to see the endangered wild dog, and to Chobe National Park with its massive elephant herds across the border in Botswana. — Charukesi Ramadurai, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026 Like so much in our fractious public discourse these days, the Inland Empire’s mysterious wild donkey herds are sparking fierce, sometimes scary debate. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 Elephants can be extremely destructive and dangerous, and several African countries must confront the problem of elephant herds destroying farmers' crops and infrastructure as well as killing or injuring people. — ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026 The wars caused massive destruction of religious and civic buildings, mills and mines, housing, crops, herds and transport infrastructure, damaging prosperity and forcing some people to move or starve. — Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026 Will Harris, a fourth-generation cattle farmer and owner of White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia, told Fox News Digital that years of financial pressure have contributed to farmers reducing their herds. — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Verb
Deep within the backwoods of rural Oklahoma, charismatic and musically gifted Amziah King herds a bluegrass-playing band of misfits while overseeing the premier honey-making operation in town. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for herds
  1. flocks
  2. populaces
  3. swarms
  4. drives
  5. crowds
  6. throngs
  7. publics
  8. hordes
Noun
  • Better vaccines can keep outbreaks from destroying herds and flocks, protect food production, and reduce opportunities for pathogens to spread to people.
    — Robert Kelly, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of flocks
Noun
  • But Onslaught doesn’t interrogate or even look at the military industrial complex with much interest beyond the notion that its fictional super soldiers were created to be unleashed upon civilian populaces.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of populaces
Noun
  • As swarms of Trump supporters waited in long security lines ahead of the speech, a chorus of top Kansas Republicans rallied the crowd.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
  • If Fairford is any indication, one year later, the United States is still no more capable than Russia of protecting its bases against drone swarms.
    — Christian Caryl, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of swarms
Verb
  • This approach also drives innovation by ensuring new technologies address real challenges cotton growers are facing.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026
  • And more importantly, what is this anxiety so many men feel about their emotions that drives them to torturously invent bodies that bear little resemblance to the human form?
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of drives
Noun
  • In his view, the peaceful crowds that greeted Machado on Sunday undermined arguments that her return would necessarily provoke unrest.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Following Jonas’s post, crowds at Whiskey Myers concerts have skewed younger.
    — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of crowds
Noun
  • Salem is a vibrant, thriving, bustling city, attracting throngs of tourists in the autumn.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Guests of the hotel have a special opportunity to visit the villa privately, away from the throngs of tourists that visit from near and far.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of throngs
Noun
  • Even more consequentially, some jihadi groups turned Muslim publics against them by mistreating Muslim civilians.
    — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Energy buyers in Asia and Europe, the US military, Arab publics, global investors, universities, football, and mediation partners from Tehran to the Taliban all came to want Qatar functioning, each for their own reason.
    — Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
Definition of publics
Noun
  • 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
  • Paris ransacked, looted, and set ablaze by hordes of rioters.
    — Ollivier Pourriol, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of hordes

Browse Nearby Words

herding
herds
herdsman
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Cite this Entry

“Herds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herds. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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