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Synonyms

sheep

American  
[sheep] / ʃip /

noun

plural

sheep

  1. 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.

  2. leather made from the skin of these animals.

  3. a meek, unimaginative, or easily led person.

idioms

  1. separate the sheep from the goats, to separate good people from bad or those intended for a specific end from unqualified people.

sheep 1 British  
/ ʃiːp /

noun

  1. 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

  2. another name for aoudad

  3. a meek or timid person, esp one without initiative

  4. to pick out the members of any group who are superior in some respects

"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
SHEEP 2 British  

abbreviation

  1. 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
sheep More Idioms  

  1. see black sheep; hanged for a sheep; separate the sheep from the goats; wolf in sheep's clothing.

Other Word Forms

  • sheepless adjective
  • sheeplike adjective

Etymology

Origin of sheep

before 900; Middle English; Old English (north) scēp; cognate with Dutch schaap, German Schaf

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.

The land abutting the Pinto Mountains Wilderness is also home to badgers, bighorn sheep and Mojave fringe-toed lizards.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Three months after state vets seized and killed hundreds of his sheep to stamp out an ongoing pox pandemic, Kostas Theofilou fights back tears as he gazes at his empty stable.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

"I only know how to be a shepherd. I have no other memory from my life. Only the sheep," he told AFP.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Any milk other than from cows, goats or sheep - such as soya or rice - is not subsidised, according to the scheme's website.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

The stinky place: Nothing smells like a sheep barn with four or five hundred sheep crammed in.

From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.