lamb

1 of 2

noun

ˈlam 

1

a

: a young sheep

especially : one that is less than one year old or without permanent teeth

b

: the young of various animals (such as the smaller antelopes) other than sheep

2

a

: a gentle or weak person

b

: dear, pet

c

: a person easily cheated or deceived especially in trading securities

3

a

: the flesh of a lamb used as food

b

: lambskin

lamblike

ˈlam-ˌlīk 

adjective

lamby

ˈla-mē 

adjective

Illustration of lamb

• A wholesale cuts
• 1 leg
• 2 loin
• 3 rack
• 4 breast
• 5 shank
• 6 shoulder
• B retail cuts
• a leg
• b sirloin chops and roast
• c loin chops and rolled loin roast
• d patties and chopped roast
• e rib chops and crown roast
• f riblets and stew; and stuffed or rolled breast
• g shoulder roast and shoulder chops
• h neck slices
• i shanks
• j blade chops
• k arm chops

lamb

2 of 2

verb

lambed; lambing; lambs

intransitive verb

: to bring forth a lamb

transitive verb

1

: to bring forth (a lamb)

2

: to tend (ewes) at lambing time

lamber

ˈla-mər 

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• sheep
• angel
• innocent

Examples of lamb in a Sentence

Noun

She's as gentle as a lamb.

the new guys at football camp were lambs who hardly knew what awaited them

Verb

The ewes will lamb soon.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In addition, chicken dumplings were stored above beef and lamb dumplings in a retail freezer. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2025

Some will welcome it; there is certainly an argument that the attempts to imitate Guardiola’s style, playing from the back against high-class opponents with a plan to press them into mistakes, led to some coaches leading their teams like lambs to the slaughter. —Oliver Kay, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025

Verb

The duo had been showcasing an array of dishes—from parmesan and lemon pepper wings to lamb chops and shrimp-and-grits martinis—while joking with staff and viewers about the flavors. —Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025

It's been a bountiful lambing season so far with lots of healthy lambs. —Brian Mann, NPR, 20 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German lamb lamb

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1611, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing lamb

• lamb's ears
• lamb's lettuce
• lamb's-quarter
• lamb's wool
• like a lamb to the slaughter
• mutton dressed as lamb
• Persian lamb
• sacrificial lamb

Rhymes for lamb

• am
• bam
• cham
• clam
• damme
• damn
• dram
• flam
• fram
• gram
• ham
• jam

Kids Definition

lamb

1 of 2 noun

ˈlam 

1

a

: a young sheep especially less than one year old or without permanent teeth

b

: the flesh of a lamb used as food

2

: an innocent, weak, or gentle person

lamb

2 of 2 verb

: to give birth to a lamb

Biographical Definition

Lamb 1 of 3

biographical name (1)

ˈlam 

Charles 1775–1834 pseudonym Elia

ˈe-lē-ə,

 commonly  ˈē-

English essayist and critic

Lamb

2 of 3

biographical name (2)

William 1779–1848 2nd Viscount Melbourne English statesman

Lamb

3 of 3

biographical name (3)

Willis Eugene 1913–2008 American physicist