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Synonyms

herdsman

American  
[hurdz-muhn] / ˈhɜrdz mən /

noun

  • herdsmen
    plural
  1. a herder; the keeper of a herd, especially of cattle or sheep.

  2. Astronomy. Herdsman, the constellation Boötes.


herdsman British  
/ ˈhɜːdzmən /

noun

  1. US equivalent: herder. a person who breeds, rears, or cares for cattle or (rarely) other livestock in the herd

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of herdsman

First recorded in 1595–1605; herd 1 + 's 1 + -man; compare earlier herdman, Middle English hird-man, Old English hyrdemann


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Now at 31, he is the herdsman and co-manages the dairy farm alongside his father.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 27, 2021

Farmers and herders once lived harmoniously on Nigeria’s bucolic central plateau, but when Amos Lenji, a farmer, caught a young herdsman grazing cattle in his cornfields this October, he feared for his life.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 10, 2018

As rational beings, each herdsman seeks to maximize their gain.

From Textbooks ● Sep. 6, 2018

He is a hunter, a fisherman, a herdsman, or a critical critic, and must remain so if he does not want to lose his means of livelihood.

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2018

You probably raise goats or sheep, and the kind of culture that grows up around being a herdsman is very different from the culture that grows up around growing crops.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

A sly nod the raw cloves rubbed on toast by the Catalan herdsmen who stake claim to the dish’s origins.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2025

New study by ICTA-UAB and the University of Cádiz reveals that the first farmers and herdsmen settled in Andalusia collected and consumed shellfish throughout the year, especially in winter.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 15, 2024

Villagers had seen "strange herdsmen" setting up camp near the area in the days before the attacks began.

From Reuters ● Dec. 20, 2022

Security experts have told The Associated Press that most of the kidnappers are former Fulani herdsmen who became caught up in Nigeria’s prolonged conflict between farmers and nomadic cattle herders.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 2, 2021

But they have little agility, tending to sloth when they reach full growth, and most Tasmanian herdsmen have learned with ease to avoid them.

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

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