Illustration of bighorn sheep
bighorn sheep
noun
big·horn sheep
ˈbig-ˌhȯrn- 
variants
or less commonly bighorn
plural bighorn sheep also bighorns or bighorn
: a usually grayish-brown wild sheep (Ovis canadensis) of mountainous and desert regions of western North America
Note: The bighorn sheep has a white patch on the rump and, in the males, massive horns that curve up and back over the ears and then up and forward toward the cheeks.
Examples of bighorn sheep in a Sentence
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Two Whales Freed from Life-Threatening Entanglements by Trained Rescue Responders in Hawaii
The latest sheep rescue also takes place just months after the Texas Parks and Wildlife shared a video of endangered desert bighorn sheep being airlifted in a relocation effort in December.
—
Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025
Warming in the Sierra Nevada was expected to decrease snow cover but kill bighorn sheep in avalanches at consistent or increased rates.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Mountains rim blue-sky horizons, and scrub brush scattered across the rocky desert hills sustain mule deer, bighorn sheep and other wildlife.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2025
There are mountains, deserts, swamps, coral reefs, and islands, plus a wide array of wildlife — from the elk and pronghorn in Grand Teton National Park to the tortoises and bighorn sheep in Joshua Tree.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 29 Jan. 2025
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Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025
Warming in the Sierra Nevada was expected to decrease snow cover but kill bighorn sheep in avalanches at consistent or increased rates.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Mountains rim blue-sky horizons, and scrub brush scattered across the rocky desert hills sustain mule deer, bighorn sheep and other wildlife.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2025
There are mountains, deserts, swamps, coral reefs, and islands, plus a wide array of wildlife — from the elk and pronghorn in Grand Teton National Park to the tortoises and bighorn sheep in Joshua Tree.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bighorn sheep
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Cite this Entry
“Bighorn sheep.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bighorn%20sheep. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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bighorn sheep
noun
big·horn sheep
ˈbig-ˌhȯrn-
: a usually grayish brown wild sheep of mountainous western North America
called also bighorn, Rocky Mountain sheep
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