herds
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
These four English words all name groups of animals, but each fits a different kind of creature and shows the speaker's view of how the animals move. 'Herd' is the standard word for large grazing mammals — cattle, deer, elephants, zebras — that walk and feed together on open land. 'Flock' suits smaller animals that move as one body, especially sheep, goats, and most birds. 'Pack' names a tighter, often hunting group of dogs, wolves, or hyenas, suggesting cooperation and shared purpose. 'Swarm' is for tiny moving creatures — bees, ants, locusts — and implies dense, restless motion. So a farmer keeps a herd of cattle, watches a flock of sheep, fears a swarm of bees, and a hunter hears a pack of wolves at night.
Common collocations
Etymology
The noun comes from Old English 'heord', meaning a group of domestic animals; the related verb existed by the 14th century, used first of moving cattle and then by extension of moving people. The plural 'herds' simply marks more than one such group or the third-person present of the verb.