drover

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "drover" is correct and usable in written English.
It refers to a person who drives cattle or sheep to market or to pasture, and can be used in contexts related to farming or livestock management. Example: "The drover skillfully guided the herd across the open plains, ensuring none of the animals strayed from the path."

✓ Grammatically correct

Encyclopedias

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

45 human-written examples

In his verse drama Driftekaren (1908; "The Drover") and long novel Sneskavlen brast (1918 19; "The Avalanche Broke"), Kinck showed himself to be a more reflective and analytical writer than Hamsun.

Encyclopedia Britannica

He was particularly praised for his portrayals of a murderous preacher in The Night of the Hunter (1955), a sympathetic marine in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957), an Australian sheep drover in The Sundowners (1960), a vengeful convict in Cape Fear (1962), an aging petty hood in The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973), and Raymond Chandler's 1940s detective Philip Marlowe in Farewell, My Lovely (1975).

Encyclopedia Britannica

Son of a blacksmith, Rudd worked as a horsebreaker, stockman, and drover before going to Brisbane, where he became a clerk and began to write poems and sketches for local journals.

Encyclopedia Britannica

The cartoon was accompanied by an imagined conversation between the unhappy bull and its drover, the then Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli.

Independent

Starring Nicole Kidman as a twittering English toff who inherits a cattle ranch, and Hugh Jackman as the shirtless drover who gets her hot under the collar, the film has two separate stories, one after the other.

Independent

Mitchell's first assignment was to interview a character known as "Owd Mick the Bull Walloper", or drover, who, having suffered some kind of wartime injury to his throat, could reportedly down 12 pints of bitter to 12 strokes of the clock as it struck midday.

Independent

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

10 human-written examples

The tradition of old West balladry had begun in the 1860s when Texan cattle drovers adapted some of the most famous ballads from the English, Scottish and Irish canon.What was it that inspired hard-bitten cowboys to compose such gems as "The Streets of Laredo" and "Git Along Little Dogies"?

The Economist

Towns such as Tombstone (in Arizona) and Dodge City (in Kansas) had very low murder rates, mainly because drovers had their guns confiscated at the town limits.

The Economist

Finally, there are paintings from a "contact" period, which began with the arrival of Indonesian fishers of trepang (sea cucumber) at the end of the 18th century and continued, after 1880, with the arrival of Australian drovers on horseback.

Encyclopedia Britannica

The old dependence on a government-monitored system of wide "stock routes" plied by expert drovers has been replaced by modern trucking, including the distinctive "road trains" (large trucks, each pulling several trailers) of the north, and by reasonably maintained roads capable of supporting these behemoths.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Cypriots who had settled along the Seven Sisters Road moved north along the old drovers' road, Green Lanes, to Tottenham and Haringay.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "drover", consider the geographical context. The term is commonly associated with Australia and historical cattle drives.

Common error

Avoid using "drover" interchangeably with terms like "cowboy" or "shepherd" without considering the specific animals being herded or the geographical region. "Drover" often implies long-distance movement of livestock, particularly cattle or sheep, in regions like Australia.

Linguistic Context

The word "drover" functions primarily as a noun, referring to a person who drives livestock. Ludwig AI confirms this usage with numerous examples showing it as a subject or object in sentences. As Ludwig AI's examples show, this term often appears in historical and geographical contexts related to livestock management.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

34%

Encyclopedias

22%

Science

18%

Less common in

Formal & Business

8%

Wiki

0%

Academia

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The term "drover" is a grammatically correct and commonly used noun that refers to a person who drives animals, especially cattle or sheep, over long distances. Ludwig AI confirms its validity and usability. Predominantly found in news, media and encyclopedia sources, "drover" carries a neutral to informal register and is often associated with historical narratives and descriptions of rural life, particularly in regions like Australia. While synonyms like "herdsman" and "stockman" exist, "drover" specifically emphasizes the act of driving livestock over distances.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

herdsman

This term is a direct synonym, referring to someone who tends a herd, particularly of cattle.

cattle driver

This phrase specifically refers to someone who drives cattle.

stockman

This term is broader, encompassing someone who works with livestock, including driving them.

shepherd

This term refers to someone who tends sheep, a specific type of livestock.

cowboy

While often associated with cattle herding, this term carries connotations of the American West.

rancher

This term refers to someone who owns or manages a ranch, which may involve driving livestock.

grazer

Someone who manages animals that graze or feed on grass.

animal herder

A more general phrase for someone who herds animals.

livestock handler

This phrase broadly describes someone who handles livestock, including driving them.

cattleman

This term specifically refers to a person who raises cattle.

FAQs

What does "drover" mean?

A "drover" is a person who drives animals, especially cattle or sheep, over long distances, typically to market or pasture.

What is another word for "drover"?

Synonyms for "drover" include "herdsman", "stockman", or "cattle driver" depending on the context.

How is "drover" used in a sentence?

Example: "The "drover" skillfully guided the herd across the plains."

Is "drover" the same as "cowboy"?

While both terms relate to working with cattle, "drover" generally refers to someone who moves livestock over long distances, while "cowboy" is more broadly associated with ranching and cattle herding in the American West.