herder

noun

herd·​er ˈhər-dər How to pronounce herder (audio)
: one that herds
specifically : a person who manages, breeds, or tends to livestock : herdsman sense 1

Examples of herder in a Sentence

the nomadic reindeer herders of Siberia live in reindeer-skin tents
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Since the house is Cheesecake’s domain and the outdoors is Pumpkin’s, the large porch serves as a meeting place, with Stevie the Sheltie, in her instinctual herder’s role, acting as chaperon. Gary Shteyngart, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025 In one particularly horrifying incident, one family of herders lost over 40 of their stock, a fact that would contribute to the death of one child, which then caused the father to go mad and be sent to prison. Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 13 Mar. 2025 Among Season 2’s changes, the role of Pete Plenty Clouds has been recast following the death of Cole Brings Plenty, who played a sheep herder in the first season. Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2025 For instance, as the rains become erratic in the Sahel region of Africa, bordering the Sahara, clashes between farmers and cattle herders become more frequent. Somini Sengupta, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for herder

Word History

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of herder was in 1635

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Cite this Entry

“Herder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/herder. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.

Biographical Definition

Herder

biographical name

Her·​der ˈher-dər How to pronounce Herder (audio)
Johann Gottfried von 1744–1803 German philosopher

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