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
Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026
Flockhill, a working sheep station in New Zealand with top-notch food and accommodations, says guests rank its farm tours, which include shadowing the shepherds and viewing lambing and shearing, as the highlight of their stay.
—Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Apr. 2026
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 Apr. 2026
Cox headed the influenza team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 22 years, shepherding it from a branch of 14 people to a division of over 100.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shepherd
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Noun
The tinkling of bells that sounded throughout town in the evening, as the shepherds returned home with their flock.
—Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026
Flockhill, a working sheep station in New Zealand with top-notch food and accommodations, says guests rank its farm tours, which include shadowing the shepherds and viewing lambing and shearing, as the highlight of their stay.
—Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
Industry development specialist Sheree Ramage shepherded the delegation to Udine, bringing filmmakers Ana Tiwary and Katrina Irawati Graham – both of whom work under the banner of indiVisual films – international – into the fold.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 Apr. 2026
Cox headed the influenza team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 22 years, shepherding it from a branch of 14 people to a division of over 100.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 25 Apr. 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 1 May. 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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