bighorn

¹ American  

[big-hawrn] / ˈbɪgˌhɔrn /

noun

plural

bighorns,

plural

bighorn

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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Etymology

Origin of bighorn

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

Example Sentences

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

Aiello, looking at data from a GPS collar on a computer screen, saw a bighorn on the Mexico side walking in a straight line, as if along something, appearing to try to cross.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2026

Here, in the Jacumba Wilderness, people are halted at the border by federal agents, but Peninsular bighorn sheep have long migrated back and forth.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2026

One is when the hefty cats are threatening Sierra Nevada bighorn, one of two subspecies of the sheep that live in the Golden State.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

A moment later, Dodger froze again as a small herd of bighorn sheep thundered past, going the same direction as the pikas and the mountain lion.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz