sheep Meaning & Definition
What Does Sheep Mean?
Sheep is a noun that means any of various hollow-horned typically gregarious ruminant mammals (genus Ovis) related to the goats but stockier and lacking a beard in the male. It is also used to mean one (O. aries) long domesticated especially for its flesh and wool.
Quick Facts About Sheep
| Part of speech | noun |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈshēp/ |
| Synonyms | angel, dove and innocent |
| Antonyms | wolf, bully and roughneck |
Sheep Definition (Noun)
- any of various hollow-horned typically gregarious ruminant mammals (genus Ovis) related to the goats but stockier and lacking a beard in the male
- one (O. aries) long domesticated especially for its flesh and wool
- a timid defenseless creature
- a timid docile person
- one easily influenced or led
- leather prepared from the skins of sheep : sheepskin
Synonyms of Sheep
Sheep synonyms and antonyms →Antonyms of Sheep
Sheep in a Sentence
She is a sheep who believed our lies, and we are the wolves who caught her.
he came to see that the members of the cult were sheep who naively went along with whatever their leader dictated
Word Forms & Grammar
sheep
sheep (countable and uncountable, plural sheep or (nonstandard, humorous or childish) sheeps)
Words That Rhyme With Sheep
Origin of Sheep
Origin 1: Middle English, from Old English scēap; akin to Old High German scāf sheep
Origin 2: Inherited from Middle English schep, schepe, from Anglian Old English sċēp (West Saxon sċēap), from Proto-West Germanic *skāp, from Proto-Germanic *skēpą, of unknown origin.
Origin 3: Perhaps from the same Scythian word (compare Ossetian цӕу (cæw, “goat”), Persian چپش (čapiš, “yearling goat”))[1] which was borrowed into Albanian as cjap, sqap (“buck”) and into Slavic (compare Polish cap). After Kroonen, *skēpą is instead from the root of Proto-Germanic *skabaną (“to scratch”) via Kluge's law.[2]
First Known Use
before 12th century
Common Questions About Sheep
What part of speech is sheep?
Sheep is a noun.
What is another word for sheep?
Close synonyms of sheep are angel, dove and innocent. See the full list of sheep synonyms and antonyms.