Lamb Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

lamb

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a young sheep
especially : one that is less than one year old or without permanent teeth
b
: the young of various animals (such as the smaller antelopes) other than sheep
2
a
: a gentle or weak person
b
: dear, pet
c
: a person easily cheated or deceived especially in trading securities
3
a
: the flesh of a lamb used as food
b
lamblike adjective
lamby adjective

Illustration of lamb

Illustration of lamb
  • A wholesale cuts
  • 1 leg
  • 2 loin
  • 3 rack
  • 4 breast
  • 5 shank
  • 6 shoulder
  • B retail cuts
  • a leg
  • b sirloin chops and roast
  • c loin chops and rolled loin roast
  • d patties and chopped roast
  • e rib chops and crown roast
  • f riblets and stew; and stuffed or rolled breast
  • g shoulder roast and shoulder chops
  • h neck slices
  • i shanks
  • j blade chops
  • k arm chops

lamb

2 of 2

verb

lambed; lambing; lambs

intransitive verb

: to bring forth a lamb

transitive verb

1
: to bring forth (a lamb)
2
: to tend (ewes) at lambing time
lamber noun

Examples of lamb in a Sentence

Noun She's as gentle as a lamb. the new guys at football camp were lambs who hardly knew what awaited them Verb The ewes will lamb soon.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
For the main course, lamb, duck and halibut dishes are available to order, and a range of dessert selections will end the meal. Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2024 Classic Shepherd’s Pie A comforting, filling staple of the Irish table, this classic shepherd’s pie features ground lamb, potatoes and a cheesy topping. Anna Luisa Rodriguez, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Dine on a menu of chaat, kebabs (think chicken tikka and lamb chops), curries, homemade breads and sweets, for weeknight dinners until 10:30 p.m. and weekend lunches as well. Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 But what Louis' does offer is a taste of Old Nevada, where customers dine at communal tables on fare that sustained the Basque shepherds — soup, beans and bread, lamb, steak and oxtail with fries to sop up the savory juices. The Arizona Republic, 15 Feb. 2024 The specials include the Chef Dinner Feature (3-9 p.m.), including lamb ragu with fresh cavatelli pasta and carrot cake. Jessica Swannie, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 The menu embraces several cuts of beef and succulent, inches-thick lamb chops served with mint jelly. Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Meat offerings include a wide variety of cuts from beef, lamb, veal and chicken and are priced according to quantity. Roger Sands, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 Lamb shanks, shoulder, and leg (bone-in or boneless) are best for braising or slow-cooking, whereas quick-cooking lamb chops can be seared, roasted, or grilled. Zoe Denenberg, Bon Appétit, 29 Feb. 2024
Verb
Electric fences can keep bears, wolves and coyotes out of calving and lambing pastures. Ben Long, The Denver Post, 13 Feb. 2024 As Rona tends to the farming demands of lambing season, reminders of her raucous drunken days in London rupture her thoughts like shards of glass, with the thumping techno music that accompanies many of those memories pounding away in her headphones. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 March is lambing season, and Fat Sheep had had a bumper crop. Tom Vanderbilt, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2023 In rural areas, vultures can go after weak or sick livestock, particularly during lambing and calving season. Adithi Ramakrishnan, Dallas News, 20 Apr. 2023 Fiennes turned up to help out for a week during lambing season wearing a black trenchcoat and leather gloves. Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2020 Things are worse in lambing season when criminals can double or triple their takings. The Economist, 25 July 2019 As the weather went from bad to worse, many farmers fell short on feed — particularly important now, a month before lambing season — and water supplies were cut off because of frozen pipes. Ceylan Yeginsu, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2018 This is accomplished by different diets (grain vs. a grain and hay diet) and lambing at different times of the year. Amy Dewall Dadmun, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 16 Sep. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lamb.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German lamb lamb

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1611, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of lamb was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near lamb

Cite this Entry

“Lamb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lamb. Accessed 27 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lamb

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a young sheep especially less than one year old or without permanent teeth
b
: the flesh of a lamb used as food
2
: an innocent, weak, or gentle person

lamb

2 of 2 verb
: to give birth to a lamb

Biographical Definition

Lamb 1 of 3

biographical name (1)

Charles 1775–1834 pseudonym Elia
ˈe-lē-ə,
 commonly  ˈē-
English essayist and critic

Lamb

2 of 3

biographical name (2)

William 1779–1848 2nd Viscount Melbourne English statesman

Lamb

3 of 3

biographical name (3)

Willis Eugene 1913–2008 American physicist

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