lamb

lamb — noun

1. a young animal with a thick woolly coat that is less than one year old, or the p

1.名詞A2
釋義

a young animal with a thick woolly coat that is less than one year old, or the pinkish-brown meat from this animal used as food

例句

The farmer's dog helped guide the <hl>lamb</hl> back to its mother in the field.

countable noun: referring to the animal

For Sunday dinner, Christopher roasted a leg of <hl>lamb</hl> with garlic and herbs.

uncountable noun: meat as food

同義詞
  • hogget

    a young sheep older than one year but not yet adult; less common in everyday speech

  • sheep

    the general term for the animal at any age; not specific to young ones

反義詞
  • ewe

    an adult female sheep

  • ram

    an adult male sheep

文法句型

lamb as countable noun for the animal

lamb as uncountable noun for the meat

用法筆記

Countable when referring to the living animal; uncountable when referring to the meat. The plural form 'lambs' refers to multiple young sheep.

常見錯誤

❌I ate a lamb for dinner.
✅I ate lamb for dinner.
💡When referring to the meat, use the uncountable form without an article.
❌Look at the lambs playing in the field!' (when referring to adult sheep)
✅Look at the lambs in the field!
💡'Lamb' specifically means a young sheep, not an adult one (ewe or ram).

2. a gentle, sweet-natured person, most often a young child, who seems innocent and

2.名詞B1
釋義

a gentle, sweet-natured person, most often a young child, who seems innocent and in need of care

例句

Little Mia is such a gentle <hl>lamb</hl> — she always shares her toys with the other children.

simile: gentle lamb describing a child

The old grandmother called her youngest grandson her dear little <hl>lamb</hl>.

term of endearment

同義詞
  • angel

    more general term for a very kind or good person; stronger religious connotation

  • sweetheart

    common term of endearment; less emphasis on innocence

反義詞
  • wolf

    a person who is fierce, dangerous, or predatory

  • bully

    someone who hurts or threatens weaker people

文法句型

someone is a lamb

用法筆記

Often used as a term of endearment in British English ('my lamb'). Can be used either as a direct address ('There, there, my lamb') or as a description ('She's a lamb').

3. someone who is easily tricked or taken advantage of, especially in situations in

3.名詞B2
釋義

someone who is easily tricked or taken advantage of, especially in situations involving money or business deals

例句

The con artist saw the wealthy tourist as a <hl>lamb</hl> ready to be fleeced of his savings.

lamb as easy target for fraud

Nikhil refused to be a <hl>lamb</hl> for the investment plan that promised impossible returns.

refusing to be a victim

同義詞
  • target

    more general; refers to the object of an attack or scam without the innocence connotation

  • victim

    someone who has already been harmed; 'lamb' emphasizes vulnerability before the harm occurs

  • sitting duck

    informal term for someone in a defenseless position; similar connotation of easy prey

反義詞
  • shark

    a person skilled at taking advantage of others, especially in business

  • predator

    someone who exploits others for personal gain

文法句型

someone is a lamb for/to someone

lamb + to + infinitive

用法筆記

Common in financial contexts. Often collocates with verbs like 'fleece', 'cheat', 'deceive', or 'take advantage of'. The expression 'like a lamb to the slaughter' is a related idiom describing someone going into danger unaware.

常見錯誤

❌He is a lamb for being kind.
✅He is a lamb for the scam.
💡This sense specifically describes someone easily cheated or deceived, not someone who is generally gentle.

4. William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (1779–1848), a British politician who serve

4.名詞
釋義

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (1779–1848), a British politician who served as Prime Minister and was a close advisor to Queen Victoria

例句

Lord Melbourne, whose family name was <hl>Lamb</hl>, served as Prime Minister twice during the 1830s.

proper noun: historical figure

The Australian city of Melbourne was named after William <hl>Lamb</hl>, the 2nd Viscount Melbourne.

namesake of a major city

用法筆記

This is a proper noun referring specifically to the British statesman. Not a general sense of the word 'lamb'. The title 'Viscount Melbourne' eventually became the name of the Australian city Melbourne.

5. Willis Eugene Lamb Jr. (1913–2008), an American physicist who won the Nobel Priz

5.名詞
釋義

Willis Eugene Lamb Jr. (1913–2008), an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize for his work on the fine structure of the hydrogen spectrum

例句

Willis Eugene <hl>Lamb</hl> received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1955 for his discovery concerning the hydrogen spectrum.

proper noun: Nobel laureate

Willis <hl>Lamb</hl> found that two types of energy inside a simple atom are slightly different.

Nobel-winning discovery about atoms

用法筆記

This is a proper noun referring specifically to the American physicist. The term 'Lamb shift' in quantum physics derives from his name.

lamb — verb

lamb — idiom