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.
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
before 900; Middle English; Old English (north) scēp; cognate with Dutch schaap, German Schaf
A sheep is a four-legged farm animal with a thick, wooly coat. Sheep are raised for this wool, as well as for meat, and they're known for their habit of staying close together in a flock. If you have a big flock of sheep, you might want to consider a herding dog or two to keep them in line. Have trouble falling asleep? Try counting sheep, a time-honored method of visualizing one sheep after another jumping over a fence, until you drift off. Sheep can also be used to describe people who never act independently and simply follow the crowd.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Their studio produced the first Wallace & Gromit short film, A Grand Day Out, in 1989 and since then have enjoyed critical acclaim with other animated series including Chicken Run and Shaun the Sheep.
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
According to The Lincoln Longwool Sheep Breeders' Association, the breed is the largest native sheep in the UK.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
On paper, “The Sheep Detectives” and “Blue Heron” don’t seem like they’d share enough to warrant comparison, let alone a double feature.
From Salon • May 25, 2026
MGM's "The Sheep Detectives," a farmyard whodunnit, took in $12.5 million over the weekend for a total of $47 million -- marking a fifth-place finish.
From Barron's • May 24, 2026
Sheep wandering around alone in parking lots, like this one, would die.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
