sheeple

plural noun

shee·​ple ˈshē-pəl How to pronounce sheeple (audio)
informal
: people who are docile, compliant, or easily influenced : people likened to sheep
James Nichols, who ran the family farm here, stamped dollar bills with red ink in protest against currency and told his neighbors that they were "sheeple" for obeying authority like livestock.Sara Rimer and James Bennet

Examples of sheeple in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Rules are for sheeple! Dan Selinger, The New Yorker, 18 Nov. 2022 Bunch of communist sheeple. Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2020 Open your eyes, sheeple: The donkey was a freaking fraud! Vulture, 13 Mar. 2023 Singularity throws images of liberation back at a nation of sheeple. Armond White, National Review, 16 Apr. 2020 Unlike in the world of sheeple, who are so obsessed with buying this and owning that, money doesn’t matter in my happy place. Evan Waite, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2020 The cancel culture is often stoked by sheeples with no interest in drilling down to truths. Washington Post, 6 Dec. 2019 Chemtrails, fluoride, vaccines, antidepressants: In the politics of conspiracy, these poisons are what turn people into sheeple. Richard Cooke, The New Republic, 3 Sep. 2019 Maestro Federer has legitimized skipping the clay season even though healthy and now all the sheeple on the ATP tour are following along. Jon Wertheim, SI.com, 4 Apr. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sheeple.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

blend of sheep and people entry 1

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sheeple was in 1945

Dictionary Entries Near sheeple

Cite this Entry

“Sheeple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sheeple. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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