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View synonyms for

sheep

[ sheep ]

noun

plural sheep.
  1. 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.
  2. leather made from the skin of these animals.
  3. a meek, unimaginative, or easily led person.


SHEEP

1

abbreviation for

  1. Sky High Earnings Expectations Possibly: applied to investments that appear to offer high returns but may be unreliable
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

sheep

2

/ ʃː /

noun

  1. 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 ovine
  2. Barbary sheep
    another name for aoudad
  3. a meek or timid person, esp one without initiative
  4. separate the sheep from the goats
    to pick out the members of any group who are superior in some respects
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈˌ, adjective
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Other Word Forms

  • l adjective
  • l adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sheep1

before 900; Middle English; Old English (north) ŧ; cognate with Dutch schaap, German Schaf
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sheep1

Old English sceap; related to Old Frisian ŧ, Old Saxon , Old High German
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. separate the sheep from the goats, to separate good people from bad or those intended for a specific end from unqualified people.

More idioms and phrases containing sheep

see black sheep ; hanged for a sheep ; separate the sheep from the goats ; wolf in sheep's clothing .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Francis — a pastor, pope, prophet, and friend who “smelled like his sheep” — taught us through example that working for a just distribution of the fruits of the earth and human labor is not mere philanthropy.

From

Long before it was a 19th century cattle and sheep ranch, the land was home to the Gabrielino-Tongva people for over 5,000 years.

From

"He was someone who 'smelt of the sheep' - a man of the people who was for the people".

From

"We used to have 40 to 50 sheep, now we've only got four or five, and the reason is the threat from snow leopards and from ibex eating the grass," he says.

From

"They burned my house in Zamzam and they burned my sheep," said Ms Adam, who had been living in Zamzam for two months.

From

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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.

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