shepherd
noun
a person who herds, tends, and guards sheep.
shepherd
1 American
[shep-erd]
/ ˈʃɛp ərd /
noun
-
shepherds
plural
verb (used with object)
-
shepherds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shepherded,
past participle, past
-
shepherding
present participle
-
to tend or guard as a shepherd.
to shepherd the flock.
-
to watch over carefully.
Shepherd
2
American
[shep-erd]
/ ˈʃɛp ərd /
noun
shepherd
1
British
/ ˈʃɛpəd /
noun
-
Female equivalent: shepherdess. a person employed to tend sheep
-
a person, such as a clergyman, who watches over or guides a group of people
verb
-
to guide or watch over in the manner of a shepherd
-
Australian rules football to prevent opponents from tackling (a member of one's own team) by blocking their path
Shepherd
2
British
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
undershepherdnoun
-
shepherdlessadjective
-
shepherdlikeadjective
-
unshepherdedadjective
-
unshepherdingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
shepherdsimple
-
shepherdssimple
-
have shepherdedperfect
-
has shepherdedperfect
-
am shepherdingprogressive
-
are shepherdingprogressive
-
is shepherdingprogressive
-
have been shepherdingperfect progressive
-
has been shepherdingperfect progressive
Past
-
shepherdedsimple
-
had shepherdedperfect
-
was shepherdingprogressive
-
were shepherdingprogressive
-
had been shepherdingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shepherd
before 1050; Middle English shepherde, Old English scēphyrde. See sheep, herd 2
Explanation
A shepherd is a person who herds flocks or groups of animals. If you traveled to Tibet, you might see a yak shepherd. Shepherd comes from the Old English sceaphierde: sheepherder. Such a person protects sheep from animals that would attack them, keeps them from wandering, and otherwise takes care of the flock. The word is also a verb that describes care of a group — sheep, other animals, even people. You might shepherd your herd of goats, or shepherd your younger siblings through the transition from elementary to middle school.
Vocabulary lists containing shepherd
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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:
Etna, a mixed-breed shepherd, is a mine-sniffing dog with the American military during a devastating future war in a country that is left unnamed, though hints point to the Korean peninsula.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
He skimps on policy and skipped most of the preprimary debates; at the one he did attend, Marx brought his dog, a Dutch shepherd, onstage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
People who shepherd their loved ones through serious illness are often crucial to the well-being of the patients using the company’s products.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
And how much wolf can you cry before they just take you off shepherd duty?
From Slate ● Jun. 12, 2026
Now and then an ancient shepherd in a dusty brown cloak would pass Sitti's house up in the village, tapping a wooden cane against the stones.
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
Nancy regularly gathered with friends to watch a livestream of the morning service at Good Shepherd New York in Gramercy Park, the church Savannah attended.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
In the 1995 movie “The American President”, Michael Douglas’ character President Andrew Shepherd gives a stirring speech about that very topic.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
"Most of the work we've been doing is in mice, not in humans," Shepherd says.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 30, 2026
Unlike Kelly Clarkson and Sherri Shepherd, Hudson will be back for another season as the talk show landscape evolves with podcasts becoming the go-to medium for celebrities.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
The uplighted orrery glows on the faces of two boys who lean into the circuits of solar orbit as it once glowed on the faces of the shepherds and magi at the crib in Bethlehem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026
Back in al-Mughayyir, settlers have already pushed Bedouin shepherds off their land nearby.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026
In Spain, fritter-like buñuelos showed up with the Moors, and by some reports, churros were a Chinese idea that was later dragged through molten chocolate by hungry Madrileños or wandering shepherds or both.
From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2026
His wife, Julia Pierrat, 58, shepherds Marc, 59, through meals and naptime, ensures he is clean and comfortable, gently offers names and words he can’t find himself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2025
“But bakers are more important people than shepherds. Bakers have homes, while shepherds sleep out in the open. Parents would rather see their children marry bakers than shepherds.”
From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho
He spent about three minutes firing questions at the ship's second officer, who was helming the vessel, before he was shepherded back to the public areas.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
As a producer, Davis notched five Grammy Awards, two with Santana, one with Clarkson and one with Jennifer Hudson, but shepherded several nominations and wins for artists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
The almost seamless transition from Intel chips was shepherded by John Ternus, who will become Apple CEO in September.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
A longtime political operative, Wiles played a key role in Trump's political comeback and shepherded his 2024 campaign to victory.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026
“Get back!” shouted Ron, and he, Harry, and Hermione flattened themselves against a door as a herd of galloping desks thundered past, shepherded by a sprinting Professor McGonagall.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
He is expected to continue shepherding some of those briefs, though now without Kendall's leadership.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Ternus is best known for shepherding the almost seamless transition of Mac computers from Intel’s chips to the company’s own Apple Silicon.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
Is he cautiously shepherding in the A.I. age, or is that just another part of the pitch?
From Slate ● Apr. 12, 2026
The third phase involves shepherding a reconciliation program that would restore political rights and free political prisoners in Venezuela.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
“I was going to do that, okay, Nala? I don’t need shepherding twenty-four seven!”
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
