Meaning & use
shepherd
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Meanings
nouncountable
A person whose job is to look after sheep in the fields.
Grammar: Refers to the worker: the shepherd counted his flock.
Patterns
- a shepherd of sheep
- shepherd and flock
The shepherd led his flock down to the valley.
A young shepherd watched the hills for wolves.
The shepherd whistled to call his dog.
nouncountablefigurativereligion
A religious or community leader who guides and cares for people.
Grammar: Used figuratively, often with spiritual leaders: the shepherd of the congregation.
Patterns
- shepherd of something
- a shepherd to someone
The priest was a gentle shepherd to his parish.
Voters chose her as a shepherd of the city's growth.
He saw himself as a shepherd of young talent.
verbtransitive
To guide or direct a group of people carefully from one place or stage to another.
Grammar: Takes an object and often a direction: shepherd the children into the hall.
Patterns
- shepherd someone into something
- shepherd someone through something
- shepherd something through something
The guide shepherded the tourists onto the bus.
She shepherded the bill through Congress.
Teachers shepherded the children out of the building.
Word forms
| plural | shepherds |
|---|---|
| third person singular | shepherds |
| past tense | shepherded |
| past participle | shepherded |
| -ing form | shepherding |
Common combinations
- shepherd a flock
- He shepherded a flock of two hundred sheep.
- shepherd the children
- Two parents shepherded the children across the street.
- shepherd through
- The lawyer shepherded the family through the process.
- good shepherd
- She was a good shepherd to her team.
- German shepherd
- The German shepherd guarded the farm.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- shepherdess noun
- an older word for a woman who tends sheep
- sheepdog noun
- a dog trained to herd sheep
- shepherd's pie noun
- a dish of minced meat with mashed potato on top
- shepherding noun
- the work of tending sheep
Commonly confused: shepherd or sheppard?
shepherd vs sheppard
Sheppard is a surname, and the common noun is always spelled shepherd.
Practice
The tour leader had to ___ forty tired visitors through the crowded station.
Choose one answer.
Shepherd as a verb means to guide a group carefully. Shelter would mean protecting them from weather and does not suggest steering them along.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “shepherd”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.