Herd Definition

hûrd
herded, herding, herds
noun
herds
A group of cattle or other domestic animals of a single kind kept together for a specific purpose.
American Heritage
A number of cattle, sheep, or other animals feeding, living, or being driven together.
Webster's New World
Any large group suggestive of this; crowd; company.
Webster's New World
The common people; masses.
Webster's New World
A herdsman.
Cowherd, shepherd.
Webster's New World
verb
herded, herding, herds
To gather together or move as a herd, group, crowd, etc.
Webster's New World
To gather, keep, or drive (animals) in a herd.
American Heritage
To tend or drive as a herdsman.
Webster's New World
To gather and place into a group or mass.
Herded the children into the auditorium.
American Heritage
(intransitive) To associate; to ally one's self with, or place one's self among, a group or company.
I’ll herd among his friends, and seem One of the number. Addison.
Wiktionary
Antonyms:
idiom
ride herd on
  • to control a moving herd of (cattle) from horseback
  • to keep a close or oppressive watch or control over
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Herd

Noun

Singular:
herd
Plural:
herds

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Herd

Origin of Herd

  • From Middle English herde, heerde, heorde, from Old English hierd, heord (“herd, flock; keeping, care, custody”), from Proto-Germanic *herdō (“herd”), from Proto-Indo-European *kerdʰ- (“file, row, herd”). Cognate with German Herde, Swedish hjord. Non-Germanic cognates include Albanian herdhe, çerdhe (“bird nest, cradle, kindergarten”).

    From Wiktionary

  • Old English hirde, hierde, from Proto-Germanic *hirdijaz. Cognate with German Hirte, Swedish herde, Danish hyrde.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English from Old English heord

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to herd using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

Words Ending With

Unscrambles

herd