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.
leather made from the skin of these animals.
a meek, unimaginative, or easily led person.
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
another name for aoudad
a meek or timid person, esp one without initiative
to pick out the members of any group who are superior in some respects
before 900; Middle English; Old English (north) scēp; cognate with Dutch schaap, German Schaf
A sheep is a four-legged farm animal with a thick, wooly coat. Sheep are raised for this wool, as well as for meat, and they're known for their habit of staying close together in a flock. If you have a big flock of sheep, you might want to consider a herding dog or two to keep them in line. Have trouble falling asleep? Try counting sheep, a time-honored method of visualizing one sheep after another jumping over a fence, until you drift off. Sheep can also be used to describe people who never act independently and simply follow the crowd.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To him it was a sin not to shear the sheep.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026
He even gets neighboring sheep farmers to bring their herds into his fields to trample the soil and eat the leftover plants.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
All of this is why Paul and Linda ended up at High Park Farm, his 183-acre sheep farm in Scotland.
From Salon • Jun. 23, 2026
The screwworm, which has the capacity to devastate cattle and sheep herds, has now appeared in Texas, where its costs could be enormous.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
The dog passed the sheep and reached Nyame first—only to bungle the message.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
