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• bighorn
  bighorn

  noun

  a wild sheep, Ovis canadensis, of the Rocky Mountains, with large, curving horns.
• Bighorn
  Bighorn

  noun

  a river flowing from central Wyoming to the Yellowstone River in S Montana. 336 miles (540 km) long.

bighorn

¹ American  

[big-hawrn] / ˈbɪgˌhɔrn /

noun

bighorns plural

1. a wild sheep, Ovis canadensis, of the Rocky Mountains, with large, curving horns.

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Bighorn ² American  

[big-hawrn] / ˈbɪgˌhɔrn /

noun

1. a river flowing from central Wyoming to the Yellowstone River in S Montana. 336 miles (540 km) long.

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bighorn British  

/ ˈbɪɡˌhɔːn /

noun

1. a large wild sheep, Ovis canadensis , inhabiting mountainous regions in North America and NE Asia: family Bovidae , order Artiodactyla . The male has massive curved horns, and the species is well adapted for climbing and leaping

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• bighorn
  plural
• bighorns
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bighorn

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85; big ¹ + horn

Example Sentences

That’s where she came across the dead bighorn ram.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

Peninsular bighorn sheep have long migrated between California and Mexico, but plans to close gaps in the border wall may change that.

From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026

Conservationists and policy makers are cooperating to build the crossings, which will allow mountain lions, bighorn sheep and black bears to safely move about their environment.

From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026

The open pit is located in the Clark Mountains, which provide habitat for bighorn sheep and are estimated to harbor the second-highest density of rare plants of any of the state’s mountain ranges.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

Matt cautiously peered around a bush and saw two bighorn sheep thunder at each other like a pair of farm trucks.

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer