shepherd
noun
a person who herds, tends, and guards sheep.
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shepherd
1 American
[shep-erd]
/ ˈʃɛp ərd /
noun
-
shepherds
plural
verb (used with object)
-
shepherds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shepherded,
past participle, past
-
shepherding
present participle
-
to tend or guard as a shepherd.
to shepherd the flock.
-
to watch over carefully.
Shepherd
2
American
[shep-erd]
/ ˈʃɛp ərd /
noun
shepherd
1
British
/ ˈʃɛpəd /
noun
-
Female equivalent: shepherdess. a person employed to tend sheep
-
a person, such as a clergyman, who watches over or guides a group of people
verb
-
to guide or watch over in the manner of a shepherd
-
Australian rules football to prevent opponents from tackling (a member of one's own team) by blocking their path
Shepherd
2
British
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
undershepherdnoun
-
shepherdlessadjective
-
shepherdlikeadjective
-
unshepherdedadjective
-
unshepherdingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
shepherdsimple
-
shepherdssimple
-
have shepherdedperfect
-
has shepherdedperfect
-
am shepherdingprogressive
-
are shepherdingprogressive
-
is shepherdingprogressive
-
have been shepherdingperfect progressive
-
has been shepherdingperfect progressive
Past
-
shepherdedsimple
-
had shepherdedperfect
-
was shepherdingprogressive
-
were shepherdingprogressive
-
had been shepherdingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shepherd
before 1050; Middle English shepherde, Old English scēphyrde. See sheep, herd 2
Explanation
A shepherd is a person who herds flocks or groups of animals. If you traveled to Tibet, you might see a yak shepherd. Shepherd comes from the Old English sceaphierde: sheepherder. Such a person protects sheep from animals that would attack them, keeps them from wandering, and otherwise takes care of the flock. The word is also a verb that describes care of a group — sheep, other animals, even people. You might shepherd your herd of goats, or shepherd your younger siblings through the transition from elementary to middle school.
Vocabulary lists containing shepherd
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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.
See Examples For:
But Jupp will need to turbocharge it - with fewer resources and a demoralised workforce, some of whom she will need to shepherd out the door.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
The demonstration had been called by farmers and shepherd groups.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Peter Katsis, a music manager who helped shepherd the careers of Smashing Pumpkins, Jane’s Addiction, Morrissey and Backstreet Boys, has died.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Marco Rubio helped shepherd the law through the upper chamber.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Doris: A shepherd with only one eye thinks you handsome!
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Shepherd, who is expecting her fourth child, said that having a grandparent around to help take care of the kids was a key reason she decided to have more children.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
When Katie Shepherd and her family relocated from the San Francisco Bay Area to Austin, Texas, in 2022 for her husband’s job, the in-laws followed.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
And it came together pretty quickly,” Shepherd said of the lineup, which includes Floating Points, Four Tet, Ben UFO, Avalon Emerson, Theo Parrish and more.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
The couple owned a miniature Australian Shepherd named Pip.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
Maybe because I was used to the Good Shepherd and Trujillo side by side in the old house, I caught myself praying a little greeting as I walked by.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
Romanian shepherds also protested in front of the government earlier this year at the end of July.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Two German shepherds on a loose leash, maybe off leash.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
GPS collars are changing the way animals grazing on Jersey's cliffsides are managed, local shepherds have said.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
In Spain, fritter-like buñuelos showed up with the Moors, and by some reports, churros were a Chinese idea that was later dragged through molten chocolate by hungry Madrileños or wandering shepherds or both.
From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2026
As he shepherds us inside, I think she’s expending whatever energy she has toward an idea of John Kwang in irretrievable fall.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
Ms. Hazrat points out that the punctuation of William Shakespeare’s plays seem not to have come from the Bard himself but from the editors, copyreaders, typesetters and publishers who shepherded his manuscripts into finished form.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
After Mark Carney settled markets with explicit forward guidance and successfully shepherded Canada through the global financial crisis in 2008, his successor as central bank governor changed course.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
He spent about three minutes firing questions at the ship's second officer, who was helming the vessel, before he was shepherded back to the public areas.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
They work in groups of 20-50, shepherded by a leader.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
Desperate to leave, she turned and shepherded the children toward the door.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
But we may be starting a new era, according to Rick Castellano, a vice president at Sallie Mae, who has been shepherding the company’s data collection since 2014.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
He is expected to continue shepherding some of those briefs, though now without Kendall's leadership.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Wang appeared as usual at last week’s city council meeting, shepherding along discussions on street paving, the upcoming budget and a potential e-bike ordinance.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
Ternus has a reputation as a decisive leader, where Cook was known for shepherding teams to collaborative conclusions.
From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026
Nala could’ve been shepherding cows through a wind tunnel.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
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