Meaning & use
heads of cattle
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UK/ˌhedz əv ˈkætl/
US/ˌhedz əv ˈkætl/
Meaning
phraseplural
A way to count cattle, where each animal is called a head.
Grammar: Used as a plural noun phrase; the singular is 'head of cattle'.
Patterns
- a number of heads of cattle
- X heads of cattle
The farmer owns two hundred heads of cattle.
They lost fifty heads of cattle in the flood.
The auction sold over a thousand heads of cattle.
Common combinations
- a herd of cattle
- A herd of cattle grazed in the field.
- head of cattle
- He bought one head of cattle at the market.
- cattle ranching
- Cattle ranching is a major industry in that region.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cattle
- General term for the animals; 'heads of cattle' is used when counting them individually.
- livestock
- Broader term that includes cattle, sheep, pigs, and other farm animals.
Word family
Commonly confused: heads of cattle or herd?
heads of cattle vs herd
A herd is a group of cattle; 'heads of cattle' counts individual animals.
Practice
The rancher sold 150 _____ of cattle at the auction.
Choose one answer.
'Heads' is the plural form used in this counting phrase. 'Head' is singular and would not agree with the number 150. 'Herd' refers to a group, not individual animals, so it doesn't fit here.
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