herd instinct

American  

noun

1. the impulse or tendency toward clustering or acting in a group, especially the presumed instinct toward or need for gregariousness and conformity.

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herd instinct British  

noun

1. psychol the inborn tendency to associate with others and follow the group's behaviour

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Etymology

Origin of herd instinct

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Major U.S. carriers often copy one another’s pricing changes, a move that behavior analysts sometimes refer to as herd instinct.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 5, 2024

The cause of his downfall, he said, was Westminster, where “the herd instinct is powerful, and when it moves, it moves.”

From Washington Post • Jul. 8, 2022

But as we’ve seen at Westminster the herd instinct is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves.

From New York Times • Jul. 7, 2022

"I think it's a kind of herd instinct," he says.

From BBC • Nov. 30, 2020

“It’s the herd instinct of corporate publishing. They do what everyone else does,” Blaine said.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie