German shepherd

American

[jur-muhn shep-erd] / ˈdʒɜr mən ˈʃɛp ərd /

noun

one of a breed of large shepherd dogs having a coat ranging in color from gray to brindled, black-and-tan, or black, used especially in police work and as a guide for the blind.

German shepherd British

noun

another name for Alsatian

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of German shepherd

1930–35; shepherd probably as translation of German Schäferhund

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.

Prince, a Siberian, joined the household in 2024 after "negotiations" with Starmer's children -- who had wanted a German Shepherd dog.

From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026

Erik Jones has been taking his 8-year-old German Shepherd Oscar to races since shortly after moving to the Cup Series full time in 2017.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2025

As a millennial who got a dog and spoiled her during the pandemic, of course I cook food for my German Shepherd Zoya.

From Salon • May 1, 2025

All the meat we had bought had gone off and we had to give it to our German Shepherd dog, the happiest member of our household these days.

From BBC • Oct. 2, 2024

During the election campaign, Sir Keir said his children had been pushing to get a German Shepherd if they moved into Downing Street.

From BBC • Sep. 8, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023