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

Lord Falconer, who along with Leadbeater is shepherding the bill through Parliament, has said the legislation has "absolutely no hope" of becoming law without a "fundamental change" in the House of Lords' approach.

From BBC

Farmers and shepherds gather the sheep and goats to bring them to the barns, where they will be safe for the night.

From Literature

To get to campus, parents must shepherd their children through a concrete labyrinth, past auto body shops and steel manufacturers.

From Los Angeles Times

“You’re in luck. I just finished up a batch of croissants, but there’s also shepherd’s pie if you want. The temp really dropped tonight, right?”

From Literature

But Welsford was shepherded to the front by Ineos Grenadiers teammate Sam Watson before surging clear in the final 100 metres.

From Barron's

Related Words

• herder
• herdsman