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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

Their secret leaked the first weekend in June when the other herdsman, Happy Mthabela, showed some of the stones to guests at a wedding.

From New York Times ● Jul. 4, 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

It is to be expected that each herdsman will try to keep as many cattle as possible on the commons.

From Textbooks ● Sep. 6, 2018

I nodded to the herdsman sitting guard and led Rostam and the pack mule around the back of the building.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

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

He is one of the southern governors who have been very critical of the activities of herdsmen, who generally come from the north, and open grazing in Nigeria.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2022

The herdsmen then drove their cattle or sheep between the two bonfires before jumping over the flames themselves.

From Salon ● May 2, 2022

During this talk, Melanthios the goatherd came in, driving goats for the suitors’ feast, with his two herdsmen.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

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