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

Bald eagles, another predator and scavenger, and bighorn sheep, a rugged mountain animal, have been reintroduced in native ranges and thrived. —Christine Peterson, Vox, 1 July 2024

Along the way, travelers can see mountain goats and bighorn sheep as well as grizzly bears. —Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 25 June 2024

Statewide, at least 532 mountain lions, 1,262 black bears, 240 elk, 59 bighorn sheep and about 45,000 other large wild animals, most of them deer, were hit and killed by vehicles in California between 2016 and 2023, according to an annual study by Shilling and other researchers at UC-Davis. —Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 20 June 2024

The property listing boasted of trophy-size elk, a resident herd of bighorn sheep and ownership of 19 mountain peaks — including 14,053-foot Culebra Peak. Harrison, like his predecessor, continued pressing the case over land grant access. —Elise Schmelzer, Hartford Courant, 6 May 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