Synonyms of herds

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

• flocks
• swarms
• droves
• schools
• colonies
• pods
• coveys
• gaggles
• packs
• plumps

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

• masses
• populaces
• crowds
• publics
• people
• millions
• mobs
• commoners
• commons
• multitudes
• cattle
• plebes
• plebeians
• rank and files
• rabbles
• hoi polloi
• proletariats
• scums
• routs
• riffraffs
• rabblements
• tag, rag, and bobtails
• unwasheds
• ragtag and bobtails
• middle classes
• bourgeoisies
• trash

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• elites
• flowers
• fat
• elect
• creams
• choices
• aristocracies
• pinks
• A-lists
• upper crusts
• societies
• picks
• prides
• best
• qualities
• nobilities
• royalties
• gentlefolks
• gentilities
• corps d'elite
• patriciates
• gentries
• peerages
• haute mondes

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

• flocks
• swarms
• throngs
• hordes
• crowds
• masses
• multitudes
• legions
• masses
• armies
• mobs
• bikes
• droves
• millions
• hosts
• routs
• crushes
• presses
• crams
• rabbles
• riffraffs
• piles
• rabblements
• scrums
• gaggles
• mountains
• heaps
• jams
• logjams

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

• drives
• runs
• shepherds
• punches
• eggs
• whips
• spurs
• pricks
• hounds
• prods
• presses
• prompts
• exhorts
• wrangles
• goads
• scourges
• flogs

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of herds

Noun

That difference compounds relentlessly over generations, giving the invasive species a demographic edge that bighorn herds simply cannot match. —Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2026

The park is an Unesco Biosphere and is known for its large herds of roaming elephants, which families can observe during game drives. —Jessica Puckett, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026

Here, nomadic families still move across the plains with their herds of yak and sheep, and concrete-and-steel settlements are few and far in between. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2026

This time of year, as calves arrive, ranchers decide whether to retain young cows called heifers and calves for breeding herds, and a big factor is pasture conditions, said Bernt Nelson, an American Farm Bureau Federation economist. —ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026

Jurassic Park is a classic, full of great performances, endlessly quotable lines, and all those dinosaurs moving in herds. —Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026

The contract has jumped more than 25% over the past 12 months as ranchers faced rising costs and slashed the size of herds. —Alex Harring, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026

First, if the petition is approved, ranchers would be required to use nonlethal methods to ward off wolves from their herds after a depredation occurs. —Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2026

Together, their herds of horses, cows and sheep number in the thousands. —Magdalena Stawkowski, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2026

Verb

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