sheep Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun woolly usually horned ruminant mammal related to the goat
  2. noun a timid defenseless simpleton who is readily preyed upon
  3. noun a docile and vulnerable person who would rather follow than make an independent decision
    • his students followed him like sheep

WordNet

Sheep noun singular & plural
Etymology
OE. shep, scheep, AS. scp, sceáp; akin to OFries. skp, LG. & D. schaap, G. schaf, OHG. scaf, Skr. chaga. Cf. Sheepherd.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of ruminants of the genus Ovis, native of the higher mountains of both hemispheres, but most numerous in Asia. ✍ The domestic sheep (Ovis aries) varies much in size, in the length and texture of its wool, the form and size of its horns, the length of its tail, etc. It was domesticated in prehistoric ages, and many distinct breeds have been produced; as the merinos, celebrated for their fine wool; the Cretan sheep, noted for their long horns; the fat-tailed, or Turkish, sheep, remarkable for the size and fatness of the tail, which often has to be supported on trucks; the Southdowns, in which the horns are lacking; and an Asiatic breed which always has four horns.
  2. A weak, bashful, silly fellow. Ainsworth.
  3. pl. Fig.: The people of God, as being under the government and protection of Christ, the great Shepherd.

Webster 1913