sheep

sheep — noun

1. A medium-sized animal kept on farmland, covered in a thick coat of soft hair cal

1.名詞A1
釋義

A medium-sized animal kept on farmland, covered in a thick coat of soft hair called wool, which people use to make cloth, and whose meat and skin are also used.

例句

Every spring, the Watanabe family rounds up their sheep for shearing.

collocation: round up sheep for shearing

A flock of sheep grazed on the hillside below the old stone barn.

collocation: flock of sheep + graze on hillside

同義詞
  • ewe

    specifically an adult female sheep; used in farming contexts

  • ram

    specifically an adult male sheep, known for its curved horns; often used in breeding

  • lamb

    a young sheep, usually less than one year old; also refers to the meat

文法句型

a flock of sheep

sheep + graze

shepherd + sheep

用法筆記

Sheep is both the singular and plural form. A single animal is 'a sheep'; multiple animals are also 'sheep' (never 'sheeps'). The young are called 'lambs'; the male is a 'ram'; the female is a 'ewe'.

常見錯誤

❌The farmer has three sheeps.
✅The farmer has three sheep.
💡'sheep' has an irregular plural that does not add -s.
❌I saw a ship grazing in the field.
✅I saw a sheep grazing in the field.
💡'sheep' and 'ship' sound similar but have very different meanings.

2. A person who is timid and easily led, tending to copy what others do or think in

2.名詞B2
釋義

A person who is timid and easily led, tending to copy what others do or think instead of making their own decisions.

例句

Romi refused to be a sheep and publicly challenged the manager's unfair policy.

collocation: be a sheep (figurative negative)

The investors followed one another like sheep, all pouring money into the same failing company.

collocation: follow like sheep

同義詞
  • follower

    less insulting; describes someone who supports another person's ideas

  • conformist

    more formal; describes someone who follows society's rules without question

  • yes-man

    informal; specifically someone who agrees with everything a superior says

反義詞
  • leader

    someone who thinks independently and guides others

  • individualist

    someone who acts according to their own beliefs rather than following the crowd

文法句型

like sheep

be (just) a sheep

follow (someone) like sheep

用法筆記

This sense is almost always used critically. Calling someone 'a sheep' is an insult, suggesting they lack courage or intelligence. The plural use ('they are sheep') often appears with 'like' in the phrase 'like sheep'.

常見錯誤

❌The sheep followed the farmer.' (ambiguous — is this the animal or person sense?)
✅His coworkers are sheep who never question the boss.
💡add context like 'coworkers' or 'followers' to make the figurative meaning clear.