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• ewe
  ewe

  noun

  a female sheep, especially when fully mature.
• Ewe
  Ewe

  noun

  a member of a people of Togo and Ghana, in western Africa.

ewe

¹ American  

[yoo, yoh] / ju, joʊ /

noun

• ewes
  plural

1. a female sheep, especially when fully mature.

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Ewe ² American  

[ay-vay, ay-way] / ˈeɪ veɪ, ˈeɪ weɪ /

noun

1. a member of a people of Togo and Ghana, in western Africa.

2. the Kwa language spoken by the Ewe people.

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ewe ¹ British  

/ juː /

noun

1. 1. a female sheep

   2. ( as modifier )

      a ewe lamb

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Ewe ² British  

/ ˈɛwɛ /

noun

1. a member of a Negroid people of W Africa living chiefly in the forests of E Ghana, Togo, and Benin

2. the language of this people, belonging to the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ewes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of ewe

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English ēowu, ēwe; cognate with Old High German ou, ouwi, Dutch ooi, Latin ovis, Greek óïs, oîs, Sanskrit ávi

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Explanation

At last, a word that means only one thing. A ewe is a female sheep. That is what a ewe is. Most people have precious few opportunities to use the word ewe. For most of us, it's most valuable as a three-letter word for crossword puzzles. For example: 1-down: a three-letter word meaning female sheep. Answer? Ewe! Also, if you're an avid Scrabble player, ewe is a good word to keep up your sleeve. That "W" can rake in some serious points if you put it on a triple-word space. Finally, punster's will enjoy using ewe in a sentence like “you and I will go see the ewe and him” — which has the two of us going to see some guy and his female sheep.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ewe Ewe ewes

My brothers were particularly fond of one wooden ewe mounted on wheels, which gave her the jaunty appearance of a sheep who had recently discovered skateboarding.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

Jill Turner, from Brora, was convinced it was the same ewe she had seen about two years before and its plight quickly captured the world's attention.

From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2026

At the opposite extreme is Scotland's Soay sheep, with just 0.6% full siblings because each ewe mates with multiple rams.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 22, 2026

The embryos were later implanted in a ewe, resulting in a pure Marco Polo argali sheep that Schubert named “Montana Mountain King,” the documents show.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 13, 2024

It was exactly what Lyddie remembered doing, but she knew, to her shame, that her own face had betrayed exasperation, while Brigid’s was as gentle as that of a ewe nuzzling her lamb.

From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson

The river Nevis in western Scotland registered its lowest May flow since records began in 1983, while the Ewe had its second lowest since 1971.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2023

She also volunteers at The Lucky Ewe farm, a charity based in north east Fife which helps people with additional support needs experience farming, animal husbandry and food production.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2022

His father was a Scottish businessman, and his mother was from Ghana’s Ewe ethnic group.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 12, 2020

A onetime Embraceable Ewe, the nickname given to the Los Angeles Rams cheerleaders, Julie Blatty had roles on TV shows such as “Charlie’s Angels” and “CHiPs.”

From Washington Post ● Sep. 29, 2017

Amari was surprised to hear the woman speak in her own Ewe language.

From "Copper Sun" by Sharon M. Draper

That also explains why, and how, his devoted rams, lambs and ewes are able to dedicate themselves to solving his murder.

From Salon ● May 17, 2026

Bryony said the situation was time critical for her pregnant ewes, especially those having twins which need to start having additional concentrated food soon.

From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026

At the desert lab that day, the wildlife team sampled five bighorn rams and seven ewes.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 29, 2024

Schubarth then implanted those embryos in his ranch’s ewes.

From Slate ● Mar. 16, 2024

In two years he had learned everything about shepherding: he knew how to shear sheep, how to care for pregnant ewes, and how to protect the sheep from wolves.

From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

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