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

Adam, a shepherd’s son, and Eve, daughter of an Earl, are born in England on World War I Armistice Day. — Monitor Reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2026

And so then that money is used to pay shepherds to work for them. — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Verb

The Great Redwood Trail Agency was created three years later to shepherd the transition of the 231-mile northern stretch in Mendocino, Trinity and Humboldt counties. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Bajaria joined Netflix at a time when streaming was still a burgeoning industry and helped shepherd the company’s rise to dominance by overseeing its content offerings. — Jackson Murphy, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 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