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

Another showed Lee on the floor of a gym in chocolate-chip camouflage pants, doing a situp while a German shepherd holds down his feet. — Eamon Javers, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026

Check out these photos to see how these shepherds are balancing work and education. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026

Verb

Together, the trio will focus on shepherding new projects and nurturing burgeoning talent, as Divide/Conquer has most recently done with Curry Barker, the Obsession breakout now on to his sophomore feature, Anything but Ghosts. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026

The bill was championed by Cabaldon in the state Senate and shepherded through the Assembly by Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, who is listed as its co-author. — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026

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