Adjacent Words

Herd definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

HERD, n.
1. A collection or assemblage; applied to beasts when feeding or driven together. We say, a herd of horses, oxen, cattle, camels, elephants, bucks, harts,and in Scripture, a herd of swine. But we say, a flock of sheep, goats, or birds. A number of cattle going to market is called a drove.
2. A company of men or people, in contempt or detestation; a crowd; a rabble; as a vulgar herd.
HERD, n. A keeper of cattle; used by Spenser, and still used in Scotland, but in English now seldom or never used, except in composition, as a shepherd, a goatherd, a swineherd.
HERD, v.i. To unite or associate, as beasts; to feed or run in collections. Most kinds of beasts manifest a disposition to herd.
1. To associate; to unite in companies customarily.
2. To associate; to become one of a number or party.
HERD, v.t. To form or put into a herd.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a group of cattle or sheep or other domestic mammals all of the same kind that are herded by humans
2: a group of wild mammals of one species that remain together: antelope or elephants or seals or whales or zebra
3: a crowd especially of ordinary or undistinguished persons or things; "his brilliance raised him above the ruck"; "the children resembled a fairy herd" [syn: ruck, herd] v
1: cause to herd, drive, or crowd together; "We herded the children into a spare classroom" [syn: herd, crowd]
2: move together, like a herd
3: keep, move, or drive animals; "Who will be herding the cattle when the cowboy dies?"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English heord; akin to Old High German herta herd, Middle Welsh cordd troop, Lithuanian kerdžius shepherd Date: before 12th century 1. a. a number of animals of one kind kept together under human control b. a congregation of gregarious wild animals 2. a. (1) a group of people usually having a common bond <a herd of tourists> (2) a large assemblage of like things b. the undistinguished masses ; crowd <isolate the individual prophets from the herd — Norman Cousins> • herdlike adjective II. verb Date: 13th century transitive verb 1. a. to gather, lead, or drive as if in a herd <herded the children into the car> b. to keep or move (animals) together 2. to place in a group intransitive verb 1. to assemble or move in a herd 2. to place oneself in a group ; associate

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a large number of animals, esp. cattle, feeding or travelling or kept together. 2 (prec. by the) derog. a large number of people; a mob (prefers not to follow the herd). 3 (esp. in comb.) a keeper of herds; a herdsman (cowherd). --v. 1 intr. & tr. go or cause to go in a herd (herded together for warmth; herded the cattle into the field). 2 tr. tend (sheep, cattle, etc.) (he herds the goats). Phrases and idioms: herd-book a book recording the pedigrees of cattle or pigs. the herd instinct the tendency of associating or conforming with one's own kind for support etc. ride herd on US keep watch on. Derivatives: herder n. Etymology: OE heord, (in sense 3) hirdi, f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Herd Herd, a. Haired. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Herd Herd, n. [OE. herd, heord, AS. heord; akin to OHG. herta,G. herde, Icel. hj["o]r?, Sw. hjord, Dan. hiord, Goth. ha['i]rda; cf. Skr. [,c]ardha troop, host.] 1. A number of beasts assembled together; as, a herd of horses, oxen, cattle, camels, elephants, deer, or swine; a particular stock or family of cattle. The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea. --Gray. Note: Herd is distinguished from flock, as being chiefly applied to the larger animals. A number of cattle, when driven to market, is called a drove. 2. A crowd of low people; a rabble. But far more numerous was the herd of such Who think too little and who talk too much. --Dryden. You can never interest the common herd in the abstract question. --Coleridge. Herd's grass (Bot.), one of several species of grass, highly esteemed for hay. See under Grass.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Herd Herd, n. [OE. hirde, herde, heorde, AS. hirde, hyrde, heorde; akin to G. hirt, hirte, OHG. hirti, Icel. hir?ir, Sw. herde, Dan. hyrde, Goth. ha['i]rdeis. See 2d Herd.] One who herds or assembles domestic animals; a herdsman; -- much used in composition; as, a shepherd; a goatherd, and the like. --Chaucer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Herd Herd, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Herded; p. pr. & vb. n. Herding.] [See 2d Herd.] 1. To unite or associate in a herd; to feed or run together, or in company; as, sheep herd on many hills. 2. 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. 3. To act as a herdsman or a shepherd. [Scot.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Herd Herd, v. t. To form or put into a herd.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(herds, herding, herded) 1. A herd is a large group of animals of one kind that live together. ...large herds of elephant and buffalo. N-COUNT: oft n N, N of n 2. If you say that someone has joined the herd or follows the herd, you are criticizing them because you think that they behave just like everyone else and do not think for themselves. They are individuals; they will not follow the herd. = pack N-SING: the N [disapproval] 3. If you herd people somewhere, you make them move there in a group. He began to herd the prisoners out... VERB: V n prep/adv 4. If you herd animals, you make them move along as a group. Stefano used a motor cycle to herd the sheep... A boy herded half a dozen camels down towards the water trough. VERB: V n, V n prep/adv

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Gen. 13:5; Deut. 7:14. (See CATTLE.)

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hurd.

See CATTLE.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Drove (of the larger animals). 2. Crowd, rabble, multitude, populace, vulgar herd (ignobile vulgus). II. v. n. Associate (as beasts), keep company.

Moby Thesaurus

Gyropilot, army, assemblage, assemble, automatic pilot, boatheader, boatsteerer, bunch, cage, cicerone, cluster, collect, collection, colony, congregate, corral, courier, cowherd, coxswain, crowd, crush, dragoman, drift, drive, drove, drover, flock, gam, gang, gather, gather together, goad, goatherd, group, guide, guidepost, guider, helmsman, herdsman, hoi polloi, hold the reins, horde, host, kennel, lash, litter, mass, masses, mercury, multitude, navigator, pack, pilot, pod, pointer, press, prick, pride, punch cattle, rabble, ride herd on, river pilot, round up, run, school, shepherd, shoal, skulk, sloth, spur, steer, steerer, steersman, swarm, take the helm, throng, tour director, tour guide, trip, troop, whip, wrangle