lamb

noun \ ˈlam \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of lamb

1 a : a young sheep; especially : one that is less than one year old or without permanent teeth

b : the young of various animals (such as the smaller antelopes) other than sheep

2 a : a gentle or weak person

b : dear, pet

c : a person easily cheated or deceived especially in trading securities

3 a : the flesh of a lamb used as food

b : lambskin

—

lamblike

play \ˈlam-ˌlīk\ adjective

—

lamby

play \ˈla-mē\ adjective

See lamb defined for English-language learners

See lamb defined for kids

Examples of lamb in a Sentence

She's as gentle as a lamb.
the new guys at football camp were lambs who hardly knew what awaited them

Recent Examples of lamb from the Web

Food & Wine noted the eclectic menu that includes lamb belly bites, shrimp with Tunisian hot sauce, and what might be the world's best chicharrones.

— greg morago, Houston Chronicle, "Better Luck Tomorrow among nation’s top 2018 restaurants," 10 Apr. 2018
The gaminess of the lamb meatballs ($18) is nicely matched with fragrant mint and a bit of feta.

— dominic armato, azcentral, "The Sicilian Butcher: 908 ways to eat meatballs at Maggiore's new Italian restaurant. But are they good?," 10 Apr. 2018
Some may argue this is more cottage pie than shepherd’s pie because of the use of beef versus lamb.

— claire perez, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Shepherd's pie with gravy a family favorite," 6 Apr. 2018
The sheep weren’t eating and the pregnant females were losing their lambs due to the stress of seeing other sheep attacked.

— colette davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, "France's wolves are back. Now, can it protect its farmers?," 4 Apr. 2018
The main course is slow-roasted lamb accompanied by lemon potatoes, served family-style.

— jay jones, latimes.com, "Where to find a traditional Greek Easter meal in Las Vegas," 4 Apr. 2018
The menu will include fish tacos, lamb pastrami and Carolina Fried Chicken.

— marc bona, cleveland.com, "City Works beer-bar-restaurant to open in Orange Village," 2 Apr. 2018
It’s hard to top this elegant lamb from Sara Moulton.

— OregonLive.com, "28 Easter recipes for ham, lamb, quiche and specialty breads, essential sides," 28 Mar. 2018
Request a corner booth to watch waiters in action, performing a culinary ballet with platters of oysters, lamb and risotto delivered with finesse.

— marlise kast-myers, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Medal-worthy Whistler," 27 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lamb.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of lamb

Origin and Etymology of lamb

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German lamb lamb

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

lamb Synonyms

lamb

verb

Definition of lamb

intransitive verb

: to bring forth a lamb

transitive verb

1 : to bring forth (a lamb)

2 : to tend (ewes) at lambing time

—

lamber

play \ˈla-mər\ noun

See lamb defined for English-language learners

Examples of lamb in a Sentence

The ewes will lamb soon.

Recent Examples of lamb from the Web

As the weather went from bad to worse, many farmers fell short on feed — particularly important now, a month before lambing season — and water supplies were cut off because of frozen pipes.

— ceylan yeginsu, New York Times, "‘I’ve Never Seen Anything Like This’: Snow Brings Rural U.K. to a Halt," 6 Mar. 2018
This is accomplished by different diets (grain vs. a grain and hay diet) and lambing at different times of the year.

— amy dewall dadmun, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Change it up with lamb burgers on greens," 16 Sep. 2017
Coyotes can do a lot of damage, especially during the fall during lambing season.

— gabriel thompson, Longreads, "Chasing the Harvest: ‘If You Want to Die, Stay at the Ranch’," 17 May 2017
Just across the North Carolina border in Virginia, Craig Rogers is deep into lambing season.

— kim severson, New York Times, "Ham or Lamb? The Easter Choice May Be Changing," 11 Apr. 2017

First Known Use of lamb

1611

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Lamb

biographical name \ ˈlam \

Definition of Lamb

Charles 1775–1834 pseudonym Elia \ˈe-lē-ə, commonly ˈē-\ English essayist and critic

Lamb

biographical name

Definition of Lamb

William 1779–1848 2nd Viscount Melbourne English statesman

Lamb

biographical name

Definition of Lamb

Willis Eugene 1913–2008 American physicist

LAMB Defined for English Language Learners

lamb

noun

Definition of lamb for English Language Learners

: a young sheep
: the meat of a lamb
: an innocent, weak, or gentle person

lamb

verb

Definition of lamb for English Language Learners

of a sheep : to give birth to a lamb

LAMB Defined for Kids

lamb

noun \ ˈlam \

Definition of lamb for Students

1 : a young sheep usually less than one year old

2 : the meat of a lamb used as food

lamb

verb

Definition of lamb for Students

lambed; lambing

: to give birth to a lamb The ewes will lamb next month.

Learn More about lamb

See words that rhyme with lamb Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for lamb Spanish Central: Translation of lamb Nglish: Translation of lamb for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of lamb for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lamb

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lamb

Definition of lamb

lamblike

lamby

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Illustration of lamb

Origin and Etymology of lamb

lamb Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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lamb

Definition of lamb

lamber

Examples of lamb in a Sentence

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First Known Use of lamb

Lamb

Definition of Lamb

Lamb

Definition of Lamb

Lamb

Definition of Lamb

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LAMB Defined for English Language Learners

lamb

Definition of lamb for English Language Learners

lamb

Definition of lamb for English Language Learners

LAMB Defined for Kids

lamb

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lamb

Definition of lamb for Students

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