shepherd

¹ American  

[shep-erd] / ˈʃɛp ərd /

noun

1. a person who herds, tends, and guards sheep.

2. a person who protects, guides, or watches over a person or group of people.

   Synonyms:

   keeper , defender , guardian , protector

3. a member of the clergy.

4. the Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

5. sheepdog.

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verb (used with object)

1. to tend or guard as a shepherd.

   to shepherd the flock.

2. to watch over carefully.

Shepherd ² American  

[shep-erd] / ˈʃɛp ərd /

noun

1. a male given name.

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shepherd ¹ British  

/ ˈʃɛpəd /

noun

1. Female equivalent: shepherdess.  a person employed to tend sheep

2. a person, such as a clergyman, who watches over or guides a group of people

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verb

1. to guide or watch over in the manner of a shepherd

2. Australian rules football to prevent opponents from tackling (a member of one's own team) by blocking their path

Shepherd ² British  

noun

1. astronomy a small moon of (e.g.) Saturn orbiting close to the rings and partly responsible for ring stability

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Other Word Forms

• shepherdless adjective
• shepherdlike adjective
• undershepherd noun
• unshepherded adjective
• unshepherding adjective

Etymology

Origin of shepherd

before 1050; Middle English shepherde, Old English scēphyrde. See sheep, herd ²

Example Sentences

Santa's key worker was later discovered on Formby beach using thermal binoculars, while a local lifeboat quad bike team stepped in to shepherd him into some sand dunes.

From BBC

The team reports that post-domestication wolf ancestry occurs across a broad range of breeds, from the large Shiloh shepherd to the tiny chihuahua.

From Science Daily

She doesn’t like to rely on digital notifications to shepherd her through the day and is more likely to remember appointments she puts on the calendar herself.

From The Wall Street Journal

When he stumbles upon the hut of a shepherd who flees at the sight of him, he “greedily devoured the remnants of the shepherd’s breakfast, which consisted of bread, cheese, milk and wine.”

From Salon

But his inability to shepherd legislation through Congress brought accusations that Mr Cheney was a liability.

From BBC

Related Words

• herder
• herdsman