Meaning & use
drover
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Meanings
nouncountableold-fashioned
A person who moves herds of cattle or flocks of sheep from one place to another on foot, often for many miles.
Grammar: A regular count noun: a drover, several drovers.
Patterns
- a drover of something
- a drover from somewhere
The drover led his cattle along the old road to the market town.
In the nineteenth century, Welsh drovers walked thousands of sheep to English markets.
The drover whistled to his dogs as the flock crossed the river.
nouncountableAustralian
In Australia, a person who moves livestock long distances over the open country, traditionally on horseback.
Grammar: Still used in Australian English, often about historical outback work.
Patterns
- a drover in the outback
The old drover remembered months spent on the road with only horses and dogs for company.
Her great-grandfather worked as a drover in Queensland.
Word forms
| plural | drovers |
|---|
Common combinations
- cattle drover
- He started as a cattle drover at fifteen.
- sheep drover
- A sheep drover needed good dogs and a great deal of patience.
- drovers' road
- The footpath follows an ancient drovers' road across the hills.
- an experienced drover
- An experienced drover could read the weather and the mood of the herd.
- hire a drover
- The farmer had to hire a drover to take the herd to the coast.
Synonyms and how they differ
- herder
- Herder is the general modern word for someone who looks after animals, while drover stresses moving them along a route.
- herdsman
- Herdsman may stay in one place with the herd, whereas a drover travels with it.
- stockman
- Stockman is the common Australian term for a worker who looks after livestock and may not travel long distances.
- cowboy
- Cowboy is American and suggests ranch work and riding, whereas drover is British and Australian and suggests walking animals to market.
Word family
Commonly confused: drover or driver? drover or drove?
drover vs driver
A driver controls a vehicle, whereas a drover moves animals, though both come from the verb drive.
drover vs drove
Drove as a verb is the past tense of drive, and as a noun it means a herd being moved; a drover is the person in charge of it.
Practice
Which person is most likely to be called a drover?
Choose one answer.
A drover moves livestock over long distances. A bus worker is a driver or conductor, which is the tempting confusion.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “drover”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.