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

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

Officials have said it is too costly — and dangerous to bighorn sheep — to repair, although there have been recent discussions about its reopening.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2025

In the craggy Sierra Nevada mountains, late last year, a male lion hunted down several bighorn.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

So this summer they put him down by lethal injection, according to Tom Stephenson, who leads the Sierra Nevada bighorn recovery program for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

Akira was so surprised she almost jumped out of her saddle, but like the other animals, the bighorn sheep barely noticed that she and Dodger were there.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz