Herd — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈhərd/

Meaning & Definition of Herd

Herd (noun)

  1. a typically large group of animals of one kind kept together under human control
  2. a congregation of gregarious wild animals
  3. a group of people usually having a common bond

Herd (verb)

  1. to gather, lead, or drive as if in a herd
  2. to keep or move (animals) together
  3. to place in a group

Herd (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a group of domestic animals assembled or herded together

    "the great herds of cattle that cowboys once drove across the plains"

    similar: drove, flock
    related: colony, covey, gaggle, pack, plump (chiefly dialect), pod, school, swarm

  2. the body of the community as contrasted with the elite

    "aspire to achieve something, to distinguish yourself from the herd"

    similar: commoners, commons, crowd, hoi polloi, mass, millions, mob, multitude, people, plebeians, plebs, populace, public, rank and file
    related: cattle, proletariat, rabble, rabblement, ragtag and bobtail, riffraff, rout, scum, tag, rag, and bobtail, trash, unwashed, bourgeoisie, middle class
    opposite: A-list, aristocracy, best, choice, corps d'elite, cream, elect, elite, fat, flower, pick, pink, pride, upper crust
    near: gentility, gentlefolk, gentry, haute monde, nobility, patriciate, peerage, quality, royalty, society

  3. 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"

    similar: army, bike (chiefly Scottish), cram, crowd, crush, drove, flock, horde, host, legion, mass, mob, multitude, press, rout, scrum, swarm, throng
    related: masses, millions, rabble, rabblement, riffraff, gaggle, heap, mountain, pile, jam, logjam

Herd (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to urge, push, or force onward

    "the guards briskly herded us through the museum in order to prevent overcrowding"

    similar: drive, punch, run
    related: shepherd, wrangle, egg, exhort, flog, goad, hound, press, prick, prod, prompt, scourge, spur, whip

Related Entry: Ride herd on (phrase)

Ride herd on is a different word from Herd. The synonyms below are for ride herd on, not for herd.

  1. to be in charge of

    "Teachers must sometimes ride herd on more than 25 students at once."

    similar: boss, captain, handle, head, overlook, oversee, quarterback, superintend, supervise, call the shots (of), call the tune (for), watch over
    related: administer, command, control, direct, guide, manage, order, run, shepherd, show, steer, monitor, preside (over), govern, reign, rule

Related Entry: (the) herd (noun)

(the) herd is a different word from Herd. The synonyms below are for (the) herd, not for herd.

  1. as in trash, (the) mob

    similar: dregs, (the) mob, rabble, rabblement, riffraff, scum, trash, bourgeoisie, middle class, working class, commoners, (the) crowd, (the) masses, peasantry, peonage, (the) people, plebeians, plebs, (the) populace, (the) public, rank and file, proletarians, proletariat
    opposite: aristocracy, elite, gentility, gentlefolk, gentry, nobility, patriciate, quality, upper class, upper crust, A-list, beau monde, beautiful people, café society, Four Hundred, glitterati, haut monde, jet set, society, carriage trade, plutocracy

Related Entry: Ridden herd on (phrase)

Ridden herd on is a different word from Herd. The synonyms below are for ridden herd on, not for herd.

  1. to be in charge of

    "Teachers must sometimes ride herd on more than 25 students at once."

    similar: bossed, captained, handled, headed, overlooked, overseen, quarterbacked, superintended, supervised, called the shots (of), called the tune (for), watched over
    related: administered, commanded, controlled, directed, guided, managed, ordered, run, shepherded, shown, steered, monitored, presided (over), governed, reigned, ruled

Related Entry: Rode herd on (phrase)

Rode herd on is a different word from Herd. The synonyms below are for rode herd on, not for herd.

  1. to be in charge of

    "Teachers must sometimes ride herd on more than 25 students at once."

    similar: bossed, captained, handled, headed, overlooked, oversaw, quarterbacked, superintended, supervised, called the shots (of), called the tune (for), watched over
    related: administered, commanded, controlled, directed, guided, managed, ordered, ran, shepherded, showed, steered, monitored, presided (over), governed, reigned, ruled

Related Entry: Rides herd on (phrase)

Rides herd on is a different word from Herd. The synonyms below are for rides herd on, not for herd.

  1. to be in charge of

    "Teachers must sometimes ride herd on more than 25 students at once."

    similar: bosses, captains, handles, heads, overlooks, oversees, quarterbacks, superintends, supervises, calls the shots (of), calls the tune (for), watches over
    related: administers, commands, controls, directs, guides, manages, orders, runs, shepherds, shows, steers, monitors, presides (over), governs, reigns, rules

Related Entry: Riding herd on (phrase)

Riding herd on is a different word from Herd. The synonyms below are for riding herd on, not for herd.

  1. to be in charge of

    "Teachers must sometimes ride herd on more than 25 students at once."

    similar: bossing, captaining, handling, heading, overlooking, overseeing, quarterbacking, superintending, supervising, calling the shots (of), calling the tune (for), watching over
    related: administering, commanding, controlling, directing, guiding, managing, ordering, running, shepherding, showing, steering, monitoring, presiding (over), governing, reigning, ruling

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Herd

The most common words with a similar meaning to Herd:

Chiefly Scottish: bike
drove, flock, commoners, commons, crowd, hoi polloi, mass, millions, mob, multitude, people, plebeians, plebs, populace, public, rank and file, army, cram, crush, horde, host, legion, press, rout, scrum, swarm, throng, drive, punch, run

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Herd

Words with the opposite meaning of Herd:

A-list, aristocracy, best, choice, corps d'elite, cream, elect, elite, fat, flower, pick, pink, pride, upper crust

Related Words for Herd

colony, covey, gaggle, pack, plump, pod, school, cattle, proletariat, rabble, rabblement, ragtag and bobtail, riffraff, scum, tag, rag, and bobtail, trash, unwashed, bourgeoisie, middle class, masses, heap, mountain, pile, jam, logjam, shepherd, wrangle, egg, exhort, flog

Near Antonyms of Herd

gentility, gentlefolk, gentry, haute monde, nobility, patriciate, peerage, quality, royalty, society

Word Forms of Herd

Inflections: herded, herding, herds

Derived words: herdlike (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Herd

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

First known use: before 12th century

Words & Phrases Containing Herd

herd immunity, herd mentality, ride herd on, the herd

Frequently Asked Questions about Herd

What does "Herd" mean?

"Herd" means a typically large group of animals of one kind kept together under human control. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a typically large group of animals of one kind kept together under human control. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Herd"?

Other words for "Herd" include drove, flock, commoners, commons, crowd, hoi polloi, mass and millions. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Herd" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Herd"?

There are 69 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Herd". Common alternatives include drove, flock, commoners, commons, crowd, hoi polloi, mass, millions, mob and multitude.

What is the opposite of "Herd"?

Antonyms of "Herd" include A-list, aristocracy, best, choice, corps d'elite, cream, elect and elite. Near antonyms include gentility, gentlefolk, gentry and haute monde.

How do you use "Herd" in a sentence?

Examples of "Herd" in a sentence: "the great herds of cattle that cowboys once drove across the plains"; "aspire to achieve something, to distinguish yourself from the herd"; "gearing up for the herd of holiday shoppers at the mall on the day after Thanksgiving".

Is "Herd" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Herd" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Herd"?

"Herd" is pronounced /ˈhərd/.

What is the origin of the word "Herd"?

"Herd" comes from Middle English, from Old English heord; akin to Old High German herta herd, Middle Welsh cordd troop, Lithuanian kerdžius shepherd. First known use: before 12th century.