Standard Lemma guide

drover

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈdɹəʊ.və/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈdɹoʊ.vəɹ/
  • rhymes with -əʊvə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: D R OW1 V ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A person who drives animals (which are on foot or on the hoof, walking to some destination), especially cattle or sheep, and especially over long distances.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • In the present day, we take it for granted that livestock are transported by truck or rail, but in past centuries, they were driven by drovers, and a herd might be met on any street, road, or highway.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: driver

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: worker, person

2

noun

Meaning 2

someone who drives a herd

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: herder, herdsman

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hired hand, hand, hired man

Narrower terms: goat herder, goatherd, sheepherder, shepherd, sheepman, swineherd, pigman

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English drove Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English drover From drove + -er.

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Czech: honák — person who drives animals
  • Dutch: veedrijver — person who drives animals
  • German: Viehtreiber — person who drives animals
  • German: Viehtreiberin — person who drives animals
  • Hungarian: hajcsár — person who drives animals
  • Hungarian: marhahajcsár — person who drives animals
  • Hungarian: birkahajcsár — person who drives animals
  • Italian: mandriano — person who drives animals
  • Italian: bovaro — person who drives animals
  • Māori: kaiwhiu — person who drives animals
  • Māori: kaiwhiuwhiu — person who drives animals
  • Polish: poganiacz bydła — person who drives animals
  • Polish: poganiaczka bydła — person who drives animals
  • Russian: заго́нщик (zagónščik) — person who drives animals
  • Russian: гуртовщи́к (gurtovščík) — person who drives animals
  • Russian: перего́нщик скота́ (peregónščik skotá) — person who drives animals
  • Russian: пого́нщик (pogónščik) — person who drives animals
  • Turkish: celep — person who drives animals
  • Ottoman Turkish: بقار (bakkar) — person who drives animals