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
Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
Hart, who previously owned a German shepherd, shared in an update in the comments section of Woodside Animal Welfare Trust's post about the adoption.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Chris McKenna, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Not everything was advisable in the budget this group shepherded against the wishes of Johnson, who allowed the tax-and-spending plan to become law without his signature.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shepherd
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Noun
Other breeds among the gifted dogs that participated in the study were a German shepherd, a Labrador retriever, a miniature Australian shepherd, a Blue Heeler and Australian Shepherd mix.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
Hart, who previously owned a German shepherd, shared in an update in the comments section of Woodside Animal Welfare Trust's post about the adoption.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Verb
In the end, Fletcher did not get the win that might have put his name in the frame to continue to shepherd the club until the end of the campaign.
—Chris McKenna, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Not everything was advisable in the budget this group shepherded against the wishes of Johnson, who allowed the tax-and-spending plan to become law without his signature.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 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 11 Jan. 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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