bighorn sheep

noun

big·​horn sheep ˈbig-ˌhȯrn- 

variants or less commonly bighorn

plural bighorn sheep also bighorns or bighorn

: a usually grayish-brown wild sheep (Ovis canadensis) of mountainous and desert regions of western North America

Note: The bighorn sheep has a white patch on the rump and, in the males, massive horns that curve up and back over the ears and then up and forward toward the cheeks.

Illustration of bighorn sheep

Examples of bighorn sheep in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At nearly 800,000 acres, Joshua Tree National Park features a whole host of amazing wonders, including Joshua tree (or yucca) forests, enormous rock formations, a cholla cactus garden, bighorn sheep, and tortoises. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 12 Jan. 2025

With its canyons, mountains and desert landscapes, the national monument serves as a habitat for a variety of animals, including desert bighorn sheep, Gila woodpeckers and Agassiz’s desert tortoises. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Jan. 2025

These monuments will play a vital role in saving hundreds of plants and animals, many of them unique to these landscapes, like the iconic Joshua Tree, desert bighorn sheep and pronghorn antelope, Rodd Kelsey, director of land conservation for the Nature Conservancy, told ABC News in a statement. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 7 Jan. 2025

Of that figure, there are only 13,000 desert bighorn sheep in North America total, per the National Park Service. —Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

bighorn sheep

noun

big·​horn sheep ˈbig-ˌhȯrn- 

: a usually grayish brown wild sheep of mountainous western North America

called also bighorn, Rocky Mountain sheep