shepherd

¹ American  

[shep-erd] / ˈʃɛp ərd /

noun

1. a person who herds, tends, and guards sheep.

2. a person who protects, guides, or watches over a person or group of people.

   Synonyms:

   keeper, defender, guardian, protector

3. a member of the clergy.

4. the Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

5. sheepdog.

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verb (used with object)

1. to tend or guard as a shepherd.

   to shepherd the flock.

2. to watch over carefully.

Shepherd ² American  

[shep-erd] / ˈʃɛp ərd /

noun

1. a male given name.

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shepherd ¹ British  

/ ˈʃɛpəd /

noun

1. Female equivalent: shepherdess.  a person employed to tend sheep

2. a person, such as a clergyman, who watches over or guides a group of people

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verb

1. to guide or watch over in the manner of a shepherd

2. Australian rules football to prevent opponents from tackling (a member of one's own team) by blocking their path

Shepherd ² British  

noun

1. astronomy a small moon of (e.g.) Saturn orbiting close to the rings and partly responsible for ring stability

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Other Word Forms

• shepherdless adjective
• shepherdlike adjective
• undershepherd noun
• unshepherded adjective
• unshepherding adjective

Etymology

Origin of shepherd

before 1050; Middle English shepherde, Old English scēphyrde. See sheep, herd ²

Example Sentences

Unless you are at the level of wealth where you’re hiring a full-time money manager to shepherd your family foundation, you should retain control over your finances.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

If the customer wanted cool, Jacobs would be their shepherd, skipping hand-in-hand with them into the future with abandon.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

“He’s a shepherd that got up with the sun and watched his flock and tried to survive,” Donovan says.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

"Finn's law" was named after German shepherd Finn, who suffered near-fatal injuries as he protected PC Dave Wardell from an attacker in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, in 2016.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026

“Art tha’ but a shepherd boy, then?” he asked, seeing Robin’s poor clothes.

From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli

Related Words

• herder
• herdsman