shepherd

1 of 2

noun

shep·​herd ˈshe-pərd How to pronounce shepherd (audio)
1
: a person who tends sheep
2
: pastor
3

shepherd

2 of 2

verb

shepherded; shepherding; shepherds

transitive verb

1
: to tend as a shepherd
2
: to guide or guard in the manner of a shepherd
shepherded the bill through Congress

Examples of shepherd in a Sentence

Verb She carefully shepherded the children across the street. They shepherded the bill through Congress.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
German shepherds and huskies might even enjoy being outdoors in the cold weather, and may not be the answer for these dogs. Alice Gibbs, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025 After that point, Bring Them Down is off to the races, revealing itself as a gripping, bloody turf war-slash-Western, played out between Abbott’s shepherd and his duplicitous young neighbor. Damon Wise, Deadline, 31 Dec. 2024
Verb
Recently, he’s also shepherded Apple’s Shrinking and Bad Monkey and an untitled Steve Carell comedy for HBO, among other projects. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2025 For 40 years, Eastman has shepherded the IP that he and co-writer Peter Laird launched back in 1984, although there’s been ups and downs. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 31 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for shepherd 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English sheepherde, from Old English scēaphyrde, from scēap sheep + hierde herdsman; akin to Old English heord herd

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1790, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shepherd was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near shepherd

Cite this Entry

“Shepherd.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shepherd. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

shepherd

1 of 2 noun
shep·​herd ˈshep-ərd How to pronounce shepherd (audio)
1
: a person who takes care of sheep
2

shepherd

2 of 2 verb
: to care for as or as if a shepherd

More from Merriam-Webster on shepherd

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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