Illustration of bighorn sheep
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.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The park recommends staying at least 25 yards away from large animals like bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes, and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves. 
Bradford Betz, Fox News, 1 July 2022 Visitors are asked to stay at least 25 yards away from all large animals including elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose and coyotes, per the park. Giovana Gelhoren, PEOPLE.com, 29 June 2022 Will the Arches social media team continue to be able to post about bighorn sheep, desert varnish and other fascinating features of the park? Julie Jag, The Salt Lake Tribune, 15 Aug. 2022 Bristlecones provide shade to elk and bighorn sheep, and shelter chipmunks and jack rabbits from predators and fierce weather. Sarah Kaplan, Anchorage Daily News, 14 July 2022 The groups cite potential harm to grizzly bears, wolverines, lynx, bighorn sheep, whitebark pine trees, Columbia spotted frogs and Yellowstone cutthroat trout. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 6 June 2022 Dinosaurs like Pachycephalosaurus had sturdy skulls, and knocking heads remains common in bighorn sheep, chameleons and even whales. New York Times, 2 June 2022 Rocky terrain species like bighorn sheep, bison, antelope and deer can be best spotted in the Tower-Roosevelt area aloft Yellowstone’s cliffs. Fox News, 21 May 2022 The park estimates its elk population to be between 600 and 800, while the bighorn sheep have reached a population of 350. Graham Averill, Outside Online, 10 Aug. 2020 See More
Bradford Betz, Fox News, 1 July 2022 Visitors are asked to stay at least 25 yards away from all large animals including elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose and coyotes, per the park. Giovana Gelhoren, PEOPLE.com, 29 June 2022 Will the Arches social media team continue to be able to post about bighorn sheep, desert varnish and other fascinating features of the park? Julie Jag, The Salt Lake Tribune, 15 Aug. 2022 Bristlecones provide shade to elk and bighorn sheep, and shelter chipmunks and jack rabbits from predators and fierce weather. Sarah Kaplan, Anchorage Daily News, 14 July 2022 The groups cite potential harm to grizzly bears, wolverines, lynx, bighorn sheep, whitebark pine trees, Columbia spotted frogs and Yellowstone cutthroat trout. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 6 June 2022 Dinosaurs like Pachycephalosaurus had sturdy skulls, and knocking heads remains common in bighorn sheep, chameleons and even whales. New York Times, 2 June 2022 Rocky terrain species like bighorn sheep, bison, antelope and deer can be best spotted in the Tower-Roosevelt area aloft Yellowstone’s cliffs. Fox News, 21 May 2022 The park estimates its elk population to be between 600 and 800, while the bighorn sheep have reached a population of 350. Graham Averill, Outside Online, 10 Aug. 2020 See More Word History
First Known Use
1817, in the meaning defined above