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sheepdog

American

[sheep-dawg, -dog] / ˈʃipˌdɔg, -ˌdɒg /

Or sheep dog

noun

a dog trained to herd and guard sheep.

sheepdog British

/ ˈʃiːpˌdɒɡ /

noun

Also called: shepherd dog. a dog used for herding sheep See Border collie
any of various breeds of dog reared originally for herding sheep See Old English sheepdog Shetland sheepdog

"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 sheepdog

First recorded in 1765–75; sheep + dog

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.

See Examples For:

sheepdog

"You couldn't run a farm without a good sheepdog," Thomas said.

From BBC ● Dec. 24, 2025

Keru and Nate, along with their beloved sheepdog Mantou, live in New York and escape the city during annual vacations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2024

To support his paranormal claim, James Irving sent Price and Lambert samples of the creature’s supposed hair, teeth, and claws that turned out to be from the family sheepdog.

From National Geographic ● Sep. 19, 2023

Today, Pippa and his 2-year-old English sheepdog, Pearl, which he called “my big fuzzy wuzzy,” are fully vaccinated.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 30, 2022

“That’s what happens when a sheepdog lives with show cats.”

From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby

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