ride herd on

verb

To supervise.

“As the new editor, his job is to ride herd on the staff and check on the tone of the articles.”

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Meanings

verbride herd on (third-person singular simple present rides herd on, present participle riding herd on, simple past rode herd on, past participle ridden herd on)

present singular third person rides herd on · participle present riding herd on · past rode herd on · participle past ridden herd on

  1. USidiomatictransitiveTo supervise.

    As the new editor, his job is to ride herd on the staff and check on the tone of the articles.

    2 more examples

    But Rabbit feels as though he owns it all, showing up at the showroom day after day, riding herd on the paperwork and the payroll […]

    1981, John Updike, Rabbit is Rich

    She'd gotten swept up in running the B&B and riding herd on her sister, Zoey, but she'd kept the faith.

    2013, Lori Wilde, Love at First Sight

Origin

From the cowboy task of driving cattle while riding along with them.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

ride herd on. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ride%20herd%20on

MLA

“ride herd on.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ride%20herd%20on. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ride herd on,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ride%20herd%20on.

Source: ride herd on on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.