thin the herd
The phrase "thin the herd" originated from livestock management and has evolved to include figurative and idiomatic meanings in various contexts.
Definition
B2Animal Husbandry
(technical)To reduce the number of animals in a group by removing weaker or less healthy ones.
Example
- Farmers often thin the herd to ensure the strongest animals thrive.
B2General
(figurative)To decrease the number of people in a group by removing less capable or less desirable members.
Example
- The company had to thin the herd during the economic downturn.
C1Natural Selection
(informal, humorous)To describe the process where individuals who engage in reckless behavior are naturally removed from the population.
Example
- Some say extreme sports thin the herd by weeding out the reckless.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "thin the herd":