sheep
any of numerous ruminant mammals of the genus Ovis, of the family Bovidae, closely related to the goats, especially O. aries, bred in a number of domesticated varieties.
leather made from the skin of these animals.
a meek, unimaginative, or easily led person.
Idioms about sheep
separate the sheep from the goats, to separate good people from bad or those intended for a specific end from unqualified people.
Origin of sheep
1Other words from sheep
- sheepless, adjective
- sheeplike, adjective
Words Nearby sheep
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use sheep in a sentence
It will be less remembered as a year featuring a diverse roster of scientific anniversaries, ranging from the 1300th birthday of a prolific writer to the 25th birthday of a celebrity sheep.
Merino wool is made from a variety of sheep known for its fine, soft fibers.
The Kora Xenolith Is My Secret Weapon Against the Cold | Wes Siler | February 2, 2021 | Outside OnlineAround 3,000 years ago a drought in central China drove Mongol herders a thousand miles north into the steppes of Khakassia, in Siberia, where they remained raising horses and sheep for centuries.
The Big Thaw: How Russia Could Dominate a Warming World | by Abrahm Lustgarten, photography by Sergey Ponomarev | December 16, 2020 | ProPublicaAnd, also like Orwell, he diverged from his social set, avoiding college for a career as a sheep farmer in South Africa … even though all he ever wanted was to be a writer.
Merino sheep, to be precise, and the wool that is shorn from them in New Zealand that ends up in the comfy sneaker-slippers made by Allbirds.
You will find winding pasture for sheep and highland cattle.
I had to pause for sheep crossing the road, which is a common occurrence when driving through the Highlands of Scotland.
A Whisky Connoisseur Remembers That First Sip of The Macallan | | December 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFarmers, fearing ISIS attacks, have left the city with their sheep.
Remembering Kobani Before The Siege | Mustafa Abdi, Movements.Org, Advancing Human Rights | November 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe notes that on Naxos sheep have very large gallbladders, but on Euboea they do not.
The Ivy League and other top schools are producing no more than ‘excellent sheep,’ says William Deresiewicz.
A flock of weary sheep pattered along the road, barnward bound, heavy eyed and bleating softly.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson LloydHarry took his bed into the spare-room, and Black sheep lay down to die.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II | Rudyard KiplingThe Griffin carried off one sheep a day from a German village, till a man came with a "falchion" and split the Griffin open.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II | Rudyard KiplingA little corral for the sheep, and a rough shed for the pony, and the home was complete: far the prettiest home they had ever had.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonAnd with these, and the society of Jane on board-wages, Black sheep was left alone for a month.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II | Rudyard Kipling
British Dictionary definitions for sheep (1 of 2)
/ (ʃiːp) /
any of various bovid mammals of the genus Ovis and related genera, esp O. aries (domestic sheep), having transversely ribbed horns and a narrow face. There are many breeds of domestic sheep, raised for their wool and for meat: Related adjective: ovine
Barbary sheep another name for aoudad
a meek or timid person, esp one without initiative
separate the sheep from the goats to pick out the members of any group who are superior in some respects
Origin of sheep
1Derived forms of sheep
- sheeplike, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for SHEEP (2 of 2)
Sky High Earnings Expectations Possibly: applied to investments that appear to offer high returns but may be unreliable
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with sheep
see black sheep; hanged for a sheep; separate the sheep from the goats; wolf in sheep's clothing.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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