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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

However, this same conclusion is reached by each and every rational herdsman sharing the commons.

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

Or her Delhi architecture school days, when she was too broke for jewellery and wore "cow beads" - fat glass beads strung across cow horns, bought off herdsmen near the hostel.

From BBC Sep. 4, 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

Bavarian herdsmen prepare their clothes before they drive their beasts during the return of the cattle from the summer pastures in the mountains near Oberstdorf, Germany.

From Seattle Times Sep. 14, 2023

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

From Reuters Dec. 20, 2022

“The herdsmen do, apparently. And the guardsmen, too,” I said.

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

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