shepherded; shepherding; shepherds
1
: to tend as a shepherd
2
: to guide or guard in the manner of a shepherd
shepherded the bill through Congress
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
Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
More recently, Joe Biden’s German shepherds, Major and Commander, come to mind as the quintessential presidential pets that ran amok.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Prime Video is also in pre-production on another project based on an Authentic property, Barneys New York, which is being shepherded by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage under their new deal with Amazon MGM Studios.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shepherd
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Noun
An opening for the Islamic State came one day in June, 2013, nearly a year after Manbij’s liberation, when the body of a young man was discovered by a shepherd outside town.
—Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
More recently, Joe Biden’s German shepherds, Major and Commander, come to mind as the quintessential presidential pets that ran amok.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
Verb
Pahlavi has cast himself as a figure of unity who can shepherd Iran’s political transition.
—Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Prime Video is also in pre-production on another project based on an Authentic property, Barneys New York, which is being shepherded by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage under their new deal with Amazon MGM Studios.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shepherd
Cite this Entry
“Shepherd.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shepherd. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shepherd
1 of 2 noun
shep·herd
ˈshep-ərd 
1
: a person who takes care of sheep
2
shepherd
2 of 2 verb
: to care for as or as if a shepherd
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