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.

Illustration of bighorn sheep

Examples of bighorn sheep in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At nearly 800,000 acres, Joshua Tree National Park features a whole host of amazing wonders, including Joshua tree (or yucca) forests, enormous rock formations, a cholla cactus garden, bighorn sheep, and tortoises. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 1 Dec. 2025

According to the University at Buffalo, the petroglyphs at Buckskin Gulch are likely at least 800 years old, if not far older, and were carved by ancestran Puebloan people, who used the area to hunt mule deer and bighorn sheep and grow corn, beans, and squash. —Owen Clarke, Outside, 20 Nov. 2025

Those potholes collect rainwater, and in turn, attract wild critters like bighorn sheep. —Kris Millgate, Outdoor Life, 20 Nov. 2025

While the bighorn sheep move freely into the mine, their natural predators, like mountain lions, avoid the area, allowing their population to grow unchecked. —John Leos, AZCentral.com, 14 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bighorn sheep

• asleep
• upkeep
• beep
• cheap
• creep
• deep
• heap
• jeep
• keep
• leap
• peep
• reap

Kids Definition

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