herd

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a typically large group of animals of one kind kept together under human control
a herd of cattle
b
: a congregation of gregarious wild animals
herds of antelopes
2
a(1)
: a group of people usually having a common bond
a herd of tourists
(2)
: a large assemblage of like things
herds of cars
b
: the undistinguished masses : crowd
isolate the individual prophets from the herdNorman Cousins
herdlike adjective

herd

2 of 2

verb

herded; herding; herds

transitive verb

1
a
: to gather, lead, or drive as if in a herd (see herd entry 1 sense 1a)
herded the children into the car
b
: to keep or move (animals) together
dogs that are trained to herd sheep
2
: to place in a group
herd us with their kindred foolsJonathan Swift

intransitive verb

1
: to assemble or move in a herd (see herd entry 1)
herding onto the subway
2
: to place oneself in a group : associate
it is desirable that young noblemen should herdSir Walter Scott

Examples of herd in a Sentence

Noun The herd grazed peacefully in the pasture. A herd of shoppers waited anxiously for the store to open. Verb The horses were herded into the corral. We left the hotel and were herded onto a bus. They herded the students into the auditorium. The commuters herded onto the train.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
This moment follows a pivotal scene from the story in which Mowgli escorts a herd of buffalo home after using them to kill his enemy, the tiger Shere Khan, in a stampede. Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024 Explore Cape Charles 20 of 20 Virginia: Assateague Island Assateague Island National Seashore stretches 37 miles along the Atlantic and is home to a herd of roaming wild horses. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2024 Horrifying videos show herds of cattle fleeing the smoke and flames. Zoe Sottile, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 Some herds will die in the fire, and cattle will be injured. Karen Hickman, The Conversation, 1 Mar. 2024 Read Next: The Best Skinning Knives Agencies manage whole herds and populations for disease resilience and overall health and well-being, Schuler says, which improves each individual deer’s chances of avoiding and surviving disease outbreaks. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 29 Feb. 2024 Ignoring male beasts and their bravado had freed the filmmakers to capture the wisdom of nature’s matriarchs, such as the elephant who leads her herd along ancient savanna pathways. Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 But its own herd has plummeted from more than nine million in 2000 to just over 1.7 million in 2022. Siyi Zhao, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024 The zoo’s herd has grown over the past couple years, the zoo said. Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 22 Feb. 2024
Verb
But Glass herds the tone toward comedy, teasing us to admit that Lou and Jackie’s predicament is funny. Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 The living conditions in Rafah where 1.4 million internal refugees are herded and trapped are unthinkable. Hazlitt, 6 Mar. 2024 Captured by brigands, the immigrants are herded into a remote Libyan prison camp where they are tormented and tortured. Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Feb. 2024 The menu changes regularly but every meal arrives as a four course feast designed to herd your taste buds toward a specific destination. Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 11 Jan. 2024 The sturdy Lancashire Heeler — bred to help farmers herd cattle and rout out rats — has a long body and dense, short-haired coat that is typically black and tan or liver and tan. Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 3 Jan. 2024 The process begins with herding fish that live in the canals, some bass, trout and common carp, but mostly white amur, a particular breed of carp that helps keep the canals clean. Trilce Estrada Olvera, The Arizona Republic, 15 Feb. 2024 His beginnings, though, were humble, spending his childhood years herding cattle and goats on his family’s farm before taking up running as a teenager. George Ramsay, CNN, 12 Feb. 2024 Lancashire heelers are drovers, meaning they have been used to herd cattle and other livestock. Ben Brasch, Washington Post, 3 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'herd.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Old English heord; akin to Old High German herta herd, Middle Welsh cordd troop, Lithuanian kerdžius shepherd

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of herd was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near herd

Cite this Entry

“Herd.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/herd. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

herd

1 of 2 noun
1
: a number of animals of one kind kept or living together
2
: the common people

herd

2 of 2 verb
1
: to assemble or come together into a herd or group
2
: to gather, lead, or drive a herd
herd cattle
herder noun

More from Merriam-Webster on herd

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!