If you’ve been keeping up with your regularly scheduled grammar–flexing, you’d know by now that if you’re saying sheeps, it’s because you’re using it the third-person present singular (and not as the plural of sheep).
What’s the plural of “sheep”?
The lone sheep wandered away from the flock.
We saw many sheep grazing on the hillside.
The farmer had a hundred sheeps in his pasture.
I watched a young sheeps eating grass near the fence.
- The plural of sheep is sheep.
- Sheeps is incorrect, and a commonly mistaken plural for the sheep.
| Sentence examples with “sheep” | |
| singular | The disobedient sheep would not follow the shepherd. |
| plural | These leaves are toxic to cattle and sheep. |
This makes sheep an irregular noun; regular nouns add “s” or “es” to switch to plural; e.g., cats, tables, dresses.
Singular and plural nouns
Some nouns stay the same in the singular and plural, like sheep, deer, and moose (to name a few).
With these nouns, we can usually infer whether it’s singular or plural from other parts of the sentence. The chart below shows similar irregular nouns that stay the same as both a singular and a plural.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| sheep | sheep |
| moose | moose |
| fish | fish (sometimes fishes) |
| elk | elk |
| deer | deer |
| bison | bison (or bisons) |
Sheep, sentence examples
| Word Form | Sentence Examples |
|---|---|
| sheep (singular) |
This sheep has the softest, thickest coat out of the flock. A single black sheep stood out in the field of white. The farmer said that one sheep had wandered away from the others. |
| sheep (plural) |
Black sheep are rarer than white sheep. We ate yoghurt made from sheep’s milk. My father works on a sheep farm. |
Counting sheep to fall asleep? You always say ‘one sheep, two sheep’, never ‘sheeps’—the word stays the same for singular and plural.
Phrases with “sheep”
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| a wolf in sheep’s clothing | if one person takes a dangerous risk, others will follow |
| black sheep of the family | one that’s different from the other family members, or feels like the odd one out |
| to make sheep’s eyes | to give someone a doting look |
| it’s a foolish sheep that makes the wolf his confessor | make sure you trust those you confide in |
| hanged for a sheep as a lamb | meaning the punishment will be the same regardless of the crime |
| if one sheep leaps over the ditch, all the rest will follow | if one person takes a dangerous risk, others will follow |
Names for male, female, and baby sheep
Female sheep and goats are ewes (/juː/), an intact male is a ram, and sometimes a tup. Castrated male sheep are wethers, and young sheep are lambs.
What do you call a group of sheep?
Commonly, a group of sheep is a flock. Less common is a “herd of sheep”. Shepherds (sheep-herders) typically herd the sheep flock back into their pens. This is the difference between a flock of sheep and a herd of sheep (it’s a subtle difference, to be sure).
Practice: Forms of “Sheep”
Look at all the ______ grazing in the field.
One ______ has strayed from the flock.
The farmer counts his ______ every night before bed.
Is that a single ______ or are there more behind the hill?
Several ______ are blocking the road.
FAQs
What is the plural of sheep?
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Is sheeps the correct plural of sheep?
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How to know if sheep is singular or plural?
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Why is sheep an irregular noun?
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Are there nouns like sheep that stay the same?
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Sources
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The Elk House The difference between a flock of sheep and a herd of sheep? Plural of animals quiz “It’s a foolish sheep that makes the wolf his confessor.” Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. 2015. Farlex, Inc 18 Dec. 2023
Yash, D. "How to Use Sheep Plural (Explained, Examples & Worksheet)." Grammarflex, Aug 24, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/sheep-plural/.
