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

The open pit is located in the Clark Mountains, which provide habitat for bighorn sheep and are estimated to harbor the second-highest density of rare plants of any of the state’s mountain ranges. —Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026

Daniel Lapage captured the scene on a security camera at his home in Yuma, where two bighorn sheep wandered calmly across his property on April 2. —Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026

Alan volunteered for Capitol Reef’s biologists, scouting for bighorn sheep and cougar. —Stephen Trimble, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026

Locals call it one of the last truly wild places in Texas, where quail, elk and desert bighorn sheep roam. —Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 28 Feb. 2026

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