sheep
Americannoun
plural
sheep-
any of numerous ruminant mammals of the genus Ovis, of the family Bovidae, closely related to the goats, especially O. aries, bred in a number of domesticated varieties.
-
leather made from the skin of these animals.
-
a meek, unimaginative, or easily led person.
idioms
noun
-
any of various bovid mammals of the genus Ovis and related genera, esp O. aries ( domestic sheep ), having transversely ribbed horns and a narrow face. There are many breeds of domestic sheep, raised for their wool and for meat
-
another name for aoudad
-
a meek or timid person, esp one without initiative
-
to pick out the members of any group who are superior in some respects
abbreviation
Other Word Forms
- sheepless adjective
- sheeplike adjective
Etymology
Origin of sheep
before 900; Middle English; Old English (north) scēp; cognate with Dutch schaap, German Schaf
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The yurts had been left behind by nomads who’d taken their sheep, goats or cattle somewhere else this time of year.
A juvenile about the size of a sheep could not reach leaves 10 meters above the ground the way an adult could.
From Science Daily
Hans Jacob had offered the miller four sheep and a milking cow for her hand in marriage.
From Literature
Nonnative livestock — not just horses and cows but also donkeys, pigs and sheep — thrived in the vast grasslands, plains and deserts of the New World.
From Los Angeles Times
The farmer and landowner has been working with renewables firm Neoen for more than a decade and said he was initially worried the panels would restrict his sheep's grazing.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
