What does "herd" mean?
A number of domestic animals assembled together under the watch or ownership of a keeper.
Herd
/hɜːd/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A number of domestic animals assembled together under the watch or ownership of a keeper.
- Grammar: herd is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: aggregation, animal group, army, assemblage.
- Useful contrasts: disperse, individuals, mix up.
- Usage evidence: The cowboys rounded up the herd of cattle.
How to use "herd"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "herd" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "herd" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "herd" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "herd" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "herd" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aggregation" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "herd", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A number of domestic animals assembled together under the watch or ownership of a keeper.
"a herd of cattle"
- 2 Someone who keeps a group of domestic animals. archaic
"Near-synonym: herdsman"
- 3 a group of cattle or sheep or other domestic mammals all of the same kind that are herded by humans wordnet
- 4 Any collection of animals gathered or travelling in a company.
"Zakouma is the last place on Earth where you can see more than a thousand elephants on the move in a single, compact herd."
- 5 a group of wild mammals of one species that remain together: antelope or elephants or seals or whales or zebra wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A crowd, a mass of people or things; a rabble. derogatory, usually
"I was never one to follow the herd."
- 7 a crowd especially of ordinary or undistinguished persons or things wordnet
Verb
- 1 To unite or associate in a herd; to feed or run together, or in company. intransitive
"Sheep herd on many hills."
- 2 To act as a herdsman or a shepherd. Scotland, intransitive
- 3 move together, like a herd wordnet
- 4 To unite or associate in a herd transitive
- 5 To form or put into a herd. transitive
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 cause to herd, drive, or crowd together wordnet
- 7 To manage, care for or guard a herd transitive
"He is employed to herd the goats."
- 8 To move or drive a herd. transitive
"I heard the herd of cattle being herded home from a long way away."
- 9 keep, move, or drive animals wordnet
- 10 To associate; to ally oneself with, or place oneself among, a group or company. intransitive
"I’ll herd among his Friends, and ſeem One of the Number, […]"
- 11 To move, or be moved, in a group. (of both animals and people)
"On alighting at the station, we were all herded over the footbridge and through a side exit."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The cowboys rounded up the herd of cattle."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "herd"?
Common synonyms include: aggregation, animal group, army, assemblage, assemble, assemble.
How do you use "herd" in a sentence?
The cowboys rounded up the herd of cattle.
How do you pronounce "herd"?
Pronounced /hɜːd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English herde, heerde, heorde, from Old English hierd, heord (“herd, flock; keeping, care, custody”), from Proto-West Germanic *herdu, from Proto-Germanic *herdō (“herd”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerdʰ- (“file, row, herd”). Cognate with German Herde, Danish hjord, Swedish hjord. Non-Germanic cognates include Albanian herdhe (“nest”) and Serbo-Croatian krdo.
Etymology 2
From Middle English herde, from Old English hirde, hierde, from Proto-West Germanic *hirdī, from Proto-Germanic *hirdijaz. Cognate with German Hirte, Swedish herde, Danish hyrde.