shepherd

1 of 2

noun

shep·​herd ˈshe-pərd 

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

Verb

• guide
• coach
• mentor

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

Noun

Police said fibers and dog hairs from Williams’ home, car and German shepherd matched samples recovered from several victims. —Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025

In photos shared with NBC News, Beckstrom can be seen hunting deer, roasting marshmallows over a backyard fire and posing happily with Carr’s brother’s dog, a Dutch shepherd named Major. —Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 28 Nov. 2025

Verb

Williams raised the late producer — who created Happy Days — for shepherding them on set. —Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025

Ingestion, the term for integrating programming directly into the YouTube TV interface, has been a sticking point with media companies trying to shepherd their own streaming services. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2025

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

Phrases Containing shepherd

• Anatolian shepherd
• Australian shepherd
• English shepherd
• German shepherd
• shepherd dog
• shepherd's check
• shepherd's pie
• shepherd's purse

Rhymes for shepherd

• leopard
• peppered

Kids Definition

shepherd

1 of 2 noun

shep·​herd ˈshep-ərd 

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