🐄 A group of animals 👥 A group of people 🚶 To gather people 🐑 To move animals

to herd

43 3.6

To move a group of people or animals to a place by guiding them

verb
/hɜrd/

Offensive

: acorralar

The teacher herded the students into the classroom before the bell rang.
herded into the school
herded into hamlets

They'd simply need to aggregate or herd an audience to their platform.

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Examples

The deputy sheriff meanders into the jury room to herd the jurors out to the court.

Fiction book (1992)
What if what they really want is for us to herd children into stadiums like we're doing?

The Siege (1998)
I know, but we'll just have to herd them into the general room, I suppose, and in the foyers.

S.O.S. Titanic (1980)
Dan asked as the group was being herded back to the Hotel Don.

Fiction book (1991)
Neva linked arms with the two of them and herded them into the long dark dining room.

Fiction book (1999)
He tried to herd them across to safety, but they wouldn't budge.

Babe (1995)
In Los Angeles, in 1931, "illegals" were herded into railroad yards and put on trains.

Fiction book (1995)
Older students are allowed to roam until the bell, but ninth-graders are herded into the auditorium.

Fiction book (1999)
To keep them safe during the storm, the guide herded the hikers together.
During the event, the staff herded the guests towards the main hall.

Synonyms

to gather

vsto herd

∞ 1.0

Bring people, things, or information together in one place

does so with an emphasis on controlled, animal-like movement rather than neutral collecting

to gather around

vsto herd

115 1.9

Come together in a group near someone or something

focuses on moving people in a controlled, animal-like way rather than forming around someone

to crowd

vsto herd

94 1.6

To move many people or animals into a small space

involves controlled, animal-like movement of people rather than simply filling space densely

to muster

vsto herd

77 5.4

To gather people, supplies, or courage for a purpose

emphasizes moving people in a controlled, animal-like way rather than organised preparation

to group

vsto herd

47 1.2

To put people and things together by type or purpose

focuses on moving people in a controlled, animal-like way rather than just arranging them

to bunch

vsto herd

28 1.2

To gather things or people into a group

is more about moving and controlling people like animals rather than simple clustering

to corral

vsto herd

22 5.2

To gather and put animals or people into a pen to keep them together

focuses on moving groups in a controlled, animal-like way rather than just enclosing them

to cluster

vsto herd

17 3.5

To come together in a small group or make people do the same

emphasizes moving people in a controlled, animal-like way rather than merely forming close groups

to bring everyone together

vsto herd

3 3.4

To make a group feel part of the same community

focuses on moving people physically in a controlled, animal-like way rather than creating unity

Antonyms

to disperse

81 4.4

To cause people and things, like a crowd or fog, to spread over a wide area

to scatter

50 2.7

To make people or animals move quickly in different directions

Idioms

to herd cats

Informal

1 9.3

To try to manage people or situations that are hard to control

Phrasal Verbs

to thin the herd

Offensive

6 7.4

To reduce the number of animals or people in a group to improve health and balance

to ride herd

4 8.8

To sit on a horse and guide a group of cows

to ride herd on

Informal

2 8.9

Keep a close watch on people and their work

How Forceful

to coerce

Offensive

80 6.4

to corral

22 5.2

to herd

Offensive

43 3.6

to round up

90 3.2

to gather

∞ 1.0

to assemble

177 3.3

Surface Forms

herd infinitive

herded past

herded past participle

herding present participle

herds third person singular

Etymology

By the same idea, the verb herd also means to move or gather people in a controlled way, as if they were animals. That's why we say people were 'herded' toward an exit or into a line.