sheep S2 W3 /ʃiːp/ noun (plural sheep) [countable]
[Language: Old English; Origin: sceap]

1.
a farm animal that is kept for its wool and its meat:
Sheep were grazing on the hillside.
a sheep farmer
flock of sheep (=a group of sheep) ⇒ lamb¹

2. like sheep if people behave like sheep, they do not think independently, but follow what everyone else does or thinks:
Tourists were led around like sheep, from shrine to souvenir shop.

3. separate the sheep from the goats British English to find out which people are intelligent, skilful, successful etc, and which are not:
This test should really separate the sheep from the goats.

4. make sheep’s eyes at somebody old-fashioned to look at someone in a way that shows you love them
⇒ black sheep, ⇒ count sheep at count¹(12), ⇒ a wolf in sheep’s clothing at wolf¹(2)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

sheep
noun
ADJ. hill | lost, stray the doleful cries of lost sheep
QUANT. flock, herd
VERB + SHEEP farm, keep, raise, rear My grandfather used to raise sheep in Wales.
tend | slaughter | shear | drive, herd, round up, shepherd The dogs herded the sheep into the pen.
SHEEP + VERB graze There were a lot of sheep grazing high up on the mountain.
bleat, (go) baa | lamb It's nearly the sheep's lambing time.
SHEEP + NOUN farm, station a 4,000-acre sheep station in New South Wales
farmer | farming, industry | dip | dog (also sheepdog) | flock | pasture | shearing
PHRASES a breed of sheep

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sheep
noun
BAD: A lot of cows and sheeps died because of the polluted water.
GOOD: A lot of cows and sheep died because of the polluted water.

Usage Note:
The plural form of sheep is the same as the singular form: 'one sheep', 'two sheep'.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

sheep
ʃi:p
See: wolf in sheep's clothing

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲