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• Sherpa
  Sherpa

  noun

  a member of a people of Tibetan descent living in the Nepalese Himalayas, who often serve as porters on mountain-climbing expeditions.
• sherpa
  sherpa

  noun

  an official who makes preparations for or assists a government representative or important delegate at a summit meeting or conference

Sherpa

American  

[shur-puh] / ˈʃɜr pə /

noun

• Sherpas,
  plural
• Sherpa
  plural

1. a member of a people of Tibetan descent living in the Nepalese Himalayas, who often serve as porters on mountain-climbing expeditions.

2. a Tibetic language spoken by the Sherpa.

3. Sometimes sherpa an expert chosen by a chief executive to assist in preparations for a summit meeting.

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Sherpa ¹ British  

/ ˈʃɜːpə /

noun

1. a member of a people of Mongolian origin living on the southern slopes of the Himalayas in Nepal, noted as mountaineers

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sherpa ² British  

/ ˈʃɜːpə /

noun

1. an official who makes preparations for or assists a government representative or important delegate at a summit meeting or conference

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Sherpa
  plural
• Sherpas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of Sherpa

First recorded in 1840–50; from Sherpa sharpa, equiavalent to shar “east” + pa “people” (referring to the origin of this people in eastern Tibet)

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Sherpa sherpa Sherpas

“When I first went to Nepal I fell in love with Sherpa culture and the yaks,” Higdon said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

Then there's Nima Sherpa, 36, who scaled four eight-thousanders in 2026 alone, and Nawang Thindu Sherpa, who in his 20s was among Nepal's rising generation of mountain guides.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

"This is an unthinkable loss for our mountaineering community and for the nation," Fur Gelje Sherpa, the President of Nepal's mountaineering association posted on social media.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

The drones make a grueling job a little bit easier by delivering a hot breakfast in minutes to Sherpa climbers who set out in the middle of the night with just headlamps to guide them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Ms. O’Dowd walked to the team’s Sherpa leader, Ang Dorje, and said audibly: “This is Ken Vernon, one of the ones we told you about. He is to be given no assistance whatsoever.”

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Before serving as Mr. Blanche’s chief of staff, I served as his sherpa during his confirmation process for deputy attorney general.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

The third member of the group, another Italian man, was rescued along with one sherpa.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2025

They have been, in some ways, a sherpa for us, to guide us through the evolution of humanity.

From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2024

“I’m just the lowly governor today. I’m the sherpa, as I like to say.”

From New York Times ● Jan. 22, 2024

Made with a flannel fleece outer lining and sherpa fleece on the inside, the Foozie not only feels fluffy on your feet and ankles thanks to its design, they’ll also keep you warm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2023

Sherpas are an ethnic group who live primarily in eastern Nepal and nearly all share the last name “Sherpa.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

"We reached it on 10 April. The crevasse below is melting," he said, adding that Sherpas after him said it had melted further and was close to collapsing.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026

Appeared in the January 26, 2026, print edition as 'Ro and Our New Health Sherpas'.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026

Foreign climbers often get most of the attention for completing the climbs while Sherpas do much of the hard work in the same dangerous conditions.

From NewsForKids.net ● Oct. 24, 2024

Tenzing, we later learned, had been scouting the route above Camp One, climbing a relatively gentle section of the Khumbu Glacier with four other Sherpas.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

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