shepherd

1 of 2

noun

shep·​herd ˈshe-pərd How to pronounce shepherd (audio)
Synonyms of shepherdnext
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 of shepherd

Relevance

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
The last shepherds who tended their flocks while walking on stilts disappeared. — ABC News, 31 July 2026 Witnesses said the men tried siccing a German shepherd on CBS News Chicago's photojournalist while yelling racial slurs, but the dog did not obey the command. — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Verb
Hermann Bücher, chairman of the AEG board of directors, took a personal interest in the project, helping shepherd it to completion. — IEEE Spectrum, 2 Aug. 2026 Darnell also shepherded The Bachelor franchise and The Voice, both of which debuted before his arrival at WBTV. — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026 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

circa 1822, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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

Phrases Containing shepherd

Rhymes for shepherd

See All Rhymes for shepherd

Browse Nearby Words

Shepard
shepherd
shepherd's bag
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shepherd.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shepherd. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

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
: german shepherd

shepherd

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

More from Merriam-Webster on shepherd

Nglish: Translation of shepherd for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shepherd

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All