lemming
noun
lem·ming ˈle-miŋ 
: any of various small short-tailed furry-footed rodents (such as genera Lemmus and Dicrostonyx) of circumpolar distribution that are notable for population fluctuations and recurrent mass migrations
Lemmings are the locusts of mammals, and they will strip a habitat bare. Then, they begin migrating forward to find a new feeding ground, swarming over boulders, around trees, whatever stands in their way. If they run into a body of water, they try to swim across.
Natalie Angier
Natalie Angier lemminglike
ˈle-miŋ-ˌlīk
adjective Lured by stock prices defying gravity and handsome bond yields, Americans have marched into the funds in lemminglike fashion. Penelope Wang and David Pauly
Penelope Wang and David Pauly 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Distrust in institutions isn’t an artifact of a lemming-like following of Donald Trump (Letters, Aug. 23). WSJ, 24 Aug. 2022 That’s the latest chapter in this tale of a CEO who followed his woke staff like a lemming off the cliff of cultural politics. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 21 Apr. 2022 One key species that is being affected by climate change in the tundra is the lemming. Devi Lockwood, Wired, 21 Sep. 2021 More lemmings feed more owls, but if a prosperous lemming season is not followed by another with the same productivity, an ecosystem can crash. Cara Korte, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2021 But hearing a lemming is only the first step in getting a meal. Jacob Job, The Conversation, 22 Feb. 2021 Some years may see higher lemming populations, but that doesn't necessarily help the owls in the long run. Cara Korte, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2021 Today, Hoch’s depiction of an authoritarian cult leader and his lemming-like followers carries a frightening contemporary charge. Washington Post, 9 Dec. 2020 Now there seems to be something both defiant and lemming-like—and just plain stupid—about them. Cressida Leyshon, The New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2020 See More
WSJ, 24 Aug. 2022 That’s the latest chapter in this tale of a CEO who followed his woke staff like a lemming off the cliff of cultural politics. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 21 Apr. 2022 One key species that is being affected by climate change in the tundra is the lemming. Devi Lockwood, Wired, 21 Sep. 2021 More lemmings feed more owls, but if a prosperous lemming season is not followed by another with the same productivity, an ecosystem can crash. Cara Korte, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2021 But hearing a lemming is only the first step in getting a meal. Jacob Job, The Conversation, 22 Feb. 2021 Some years may see higher lemming populations, but that doesn't necessarily help the owls in the long run. Cara Korte, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2021 Today, Hoch’s depiction of an authoritarian cult leader and his lemming-like followers carries a frightening contemporary charge. Washington Post, 9 Dec. 2020 Now there seems to be something both defiant and lemming-like—and just plain stupid—about them. Cressida Leyshon, The New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Norwegian
First Known Use
1713, in the meaning defined above