herd instinct

American  

noun

1. the impulse or tendency toward clustering or acting in a group, especially the presumed instinct toward or need for gregariousness and conformity.

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herd instinct British  

noun

1. psychol the inborn tendency to associate with others and follow the group's behaviour

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Etymology

Origin of herd instinct

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Dr Tan says online bullies typically "stigmatise individuals for their personal actions or choices" and that is "later compounded by herd instinct".

From BBC

“As we have seen at Westminster the herd instinct is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves,” Mr. Johnson said in his resignation speech, suggesting that his Conservative colleagues in Parliament were simply succumbing to the political survival instinct of following the crowd.

From New York Times

"But as we've seen, at Westminster the herd instinct is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves, and, my friends in politics, no one is remotely indispensable."

From BBC

The cause of his downfall, he said, was Westminster, where “the herd instinct is powerful, and when it moves, it moves.”

From Washington Post

He said his departure was a result of the "herd instinct" at Westminster and it would be "painful" to not deliver on "so many ideas and projects".

From BBC