Honestly, I know the answer is most likely going to be some form of "it depends", so here's the context I'm using the phrase noun in:

the livestock are acting up and now I need to...

the livestock is acting up and now I need to...

I know there are instances when "livestock" feels more singular than plural, but in my use case I'm leaning plural. I'm just not sure.

Any help and other examples are appreciated


ODO defines livestock as a mass noun, and none of its many examples has either is or are following the word:

livestock noun (mass noun) Farm animals regarded as an asset. ‘markets for the trading of livestock’ - ODO

Interestingly, though, M-W provides this pair of examples:

a market where livestock are bought and sold
a market where livestock is bought and sold

M-W's learner's dictionary provides a little more information, noting both plural and noncount usage of the word livestock, with the above examples repeated.

So if you're treating the livestock as a (plural) set of animals, use livestock are, and if you're treating the animals as a collective (massed) group, use livestock is.

  • I guess it comes down to understanding when I'm using it as a plural and when as a collective (seems obvious, but I guess I just need more examples and patterns to develop this judgment). Would you recommend I replace livestock with an animal set noun (kettle of hawks, pod of dolphins, murder of crows) just to test the usage? What about substitutes for the collective form? – MSD Sep 26 '17 at 22:56
  • 1
    Here's a test you can try: replace livestock with group, then with individuals. If group fits better, use livestock as a mass noun; if individuals fits better, use it as a plural noun. – Lawrence Sep 26 '17 at 23:06

Your Answer

