shepherd

1 of 2

noun

shep·​herd ˈshe-pərd 

1

: a person who tends sheep

2

: pastor

3

: german shepherd

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

Synonyms

Verb

• coach
• counsel
• guide
• lead
• mentor
• pilot
• show
• tutor

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

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

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

Phrases Containing shepherd

• Anatolian shepherd
• Australian shepherd
• English shepherd
• German shepherd
• shepherd dog
• shepherd's check
• shepherd's pie
• shepherd's purse

Kids Definition

shepherd

1 of 2 noun

shep·​herd ˈshep-ərd 

1

: a person who takes care of sheep

2

: german shepherd

shepherd

2 of 2 verb

: to care for as or as if a shepherd