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:
People who shepherd their loved ones through serious illness are often crucial to the well-being of the patients using the company’s products.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
And how much wolf can you cry before they just take you off shepherd duty?
From Slate ● Jun. 12, 2026
“Julie was our shepherd and our protector the whole time we were there,” the singer says of Death Cab’s nearly two-decade run at Atlantic, which began with 2005’s Grammy-nominated “Plans.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
The Bidens tried again with Commander, a German shepherd puppy who joined them in December 2021, but he was also gone by October 2023 after at least 24 documented biting incidents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
A shepherd boy who reminded me of the handsome Acoynapa of Uncle Turu’s story played a flute to the grazing animals.
From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis
In the 1995 movie “The American President”, Michael Douglas’ character President Andrew Shepherd gives a stirring speech about that very topic.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
"Most of the work we've been doing is in mice, not in humans," Shepherd says.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 30, 2026
Unlike Kelly Clarkson and Sherri Shepherd, Hudson will be back for another season as the talk show landscape evolves with podcasts becoming the go-to medium for celebrities.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
But, she recalled, her career "took something of a U-turn" in her early 40s when she was cast in US 1990s sitcom Cybill, starring Cybill Shepherd.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026
Mr Shepherd says it’s a good idea to laugh when others do as it means you can fit in and become friends.
From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd
Some shepherds were waiting for them to come out.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
The Bidens arrived in Washington with two German shepherds, Champ and Major.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 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
A volunteer brought him to safety in downtown’s longstanding no-kill refuge for shepherds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2025
All sorts of animals, from German shepherds to chickens, have become the stable companions of racehorses.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
He also shepherded his young UAE-Team Emirates-XRG team-mate Isaac del Toro across the line on more than one occasion during this year's race when his own job was done.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Potts’s company, whose team has shepherded a combined 13 drugs through Food and Drug Administration approval, is one of a growing number of biotechs going to extreme lengths to stay secret.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Instead, he said, he was shepherded into a glass office where a thin man in a baggy suit named Alex told him to sign three packets of documents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
A longtime political operative, Wiles played a key role in Trump's political comeback and shepherded his 2024 campaign to victory.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026
Chess shepherded Finn out past the fence as well.
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Is he cautiously shepherding in the A.I. age, or is that just another part of the pitch?
From Slate ● Apr. 12, 2026
Bores plunged into the Manhattan congressional race after three years in the state assembly, where his chief achievement was shepherding the AI bill.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
He was assisted by his lover Giancarlo Giammetti, who had business know-how and would help transform the company into a global brand, shepherding it through successive buy-outs.
From Barron's ● Jan. 19, 2026
The producer joined Disney 38 years ago and led animation for several years as he began building the company’s theatrical unit, ultimately shepherding such juggernauts as “The Lion King,” “Aladdin” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2025
Other teachers and parents kept calling out to Ms. Morales, but she kept shepherding the kids toward the parking lot, even as she stayed a few steps back from them.
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
