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

At a news conference earlier in the day, at Mar-a-Lago, Trump fielded some questions about Kennedy and polio vaccines, acting as something of a shepherd from afar. —Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2024

They are based on the legend that some of the shepherds who visited baby Jesus felt compelled to play their bagpipes. —Chad De Guzman, TIME, 18 Dec. 2024

Verb

The outgoing Energy and Commerce chair shepherded popular nuclear legislation to passage — but came up short on permitting and hydro bills. —Daniel Moore, Axios, 20 Dec. 2024

Boyle, Garland, Andrew Macdonald, Searchlight Pictures vet Peter Rice (who originally shepherded the original movies) and Bernard Bellew are producers with Murphy as EP. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 19 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