-
Sherpa
Sherpanouna member of a people of Tibetan descent living in the Nepalese Himalayas, who often serve as porters on mountain-climbing expeditions.
-
sherpa
sherpanounan official who makes preparations for or assists a government representative or important delegate at a summit meeting or conference
Sherpa
Americannoun
-
a member of a people of Tibetan descent living in the Nepalese Himalayas, who often serve as porters on mountain-climbing expeditions.
-
a Tibetic language spoken by the Sherpa.
-
Sometimes sherpa an expert chosen by a chief executive to assist in preparations for a summit meeting.
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Sherpa
First recorded in 1840–50; from Sherpa sharpa, equiavalent to shar “east” + pa “people” (referring to the origin of this people in eastern Tibet)
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.
Pemba Sherpa, executive director of 8K Expeditions which was overseeing search efforts, called it a "true self-rescue".
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
As hopes of his survival faded, Dawa Sherpa had slowly been making his way back, and on Thursday he was spotted by a cleaning crew as he slid slowly down the world's tallest mountain.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
An experienced climber, Dawa Sherpa is also known as Hillary Dawa Sherpa after famed mountaineer Edmund Hillary.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
His wife Damu Sherpa said her family was overjoyed.
From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026
Twenty stone monuments stood in a somber row along the crest of the glacier’s terminal moraine, overlooking the mist-filled valley: memorials to climbers who had died on Everest, most of them Sherpa.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
![]()
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.