DictionaryAI

sheep

noun
SaySHEEP/ʃip//ʃiːp/

Pluralsheep

5 meanings of sheep

Practice

  1. 1
    farm animalnouncountable
    A woolly animal kept on farms for its wool, meat, and milk, or one of its wild relatives.

    A sheep on this farm gives a thick fleece every spring.

    Farmers in the valley keep sheep for both wool and meat.

    UsageOne sheep, two sheep (not incorrect: sheeps).

    Note
  2. 2
    followernouncountable
    A person who is shy and easily led, following others instead of thinking for themselves.

    Like a person in a crowd who just goes wherever everyone else goes.

    He's such a sheep, always copying whatever his friends decide to do.

    Don't be a sheep. Make up your own mind for once.

    UsageCalling someone a sheep is not nice.

    Similarmouse

    Oppositeleader, maverick, nonconformist, individualist

  3. 3
    church membernouncountable
    A member of a church, thought of as one of a group cared for by a religious leader.

    The new priest promised to take good care of his sheep.

    A caring pastor tries to know every sheep in the parish by name.

    UsageSay a priest and his sheep.

    Similarparishioner, follower, believer, congregant

    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    noun
    Soft leather made from the skin of a sheep, used for gloves, linings, and book covers.
  2. 5
    noun
    A person whose voice a computer can understand easily and almost without mistakes.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of sheep apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

An old English word for the animal, from Old English scēap. Its deeper origin is unknown.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts