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1 N‑COUNT A sheep is a farm animal which is covered with thick curly hair called wool. Sheep are kept for their wool or for their meat. □  …grassland on which a flock of sheep were grazing.

2 N‑PLURAL [usu like N ] If you say that a group of people are like sheep , you disapprove of them because if one person does something, all the others copy that person. [DISAPPROVAL ]

3 → see also black sheep

sheep|dog /ʃiː pdɒg/ (sheepdogs ) N‑COUNT A sheepdog is a breed of dog. Some sheepdogs are used for controlling sheep.

sheep|ish /ʃiː p I ʃ/ ADJ If you look sheepish , you look slightly embarrassed because you feel foolish or you have done something silly. □  The couple leapt apart when she walked in on them and later came downstairs looking sheepish.

sheep|skin /ʃiː psk I n/ (sheepskins ) N‑VAR [oft N n] Sheepskin is the skin of a sheep with the wool still attached to it, used especially for making coats and rugs. □  …a sheepskin coat.

sheer /ʃ I ə ^r / (sheerer , sheerest )

1 ADJ [ADJ n] You can use sheer to emphasize that a state or situation is complete and does not involve or is not mixed with anything else. [EMPHASIS ] □  His music is sheer delight. □  Sheer chance quite often plays an important part in sparking off an idea.

2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A sheer cliff or drop is extremely steep or completely vertical. □  There was a sheer drop just outside my window.

3 ADJ Sheer material is very thin, light, and delicate. □  …sheer black tights.

sheet ◆◇◇ /ʃiː t/ (sheets )

1 N‑COUNT A sheet is a large rectangular piece of cotton or other cloth that you sleep on or cover yourself with in a bed. □  Once a week, a maid changes the sheets.

2 N‑COUNT A sheet of paper is a rectangular piece of paper. □ [+ of ] …a sheet of newspaper. □  I was able to fit it all on one sheet.

3 N‑COUNT [usu n N ] You can use sheet to refer to a piece of paper which gives information about something. □ [+ on ] …information sheets on each country in the world.

4 N‑COUNT A sheet of glass, metal, or wood is a large, flat, thin piece of it. □ [+ of ] …a cracked sheet of glass. □ [+ of ] Overhead, cranes were lifting giant sheets of steel.

5 N‑COUNT A sheet of something is a thin wide layer of it over the surface of something else. □ [+ of ] …a sheet of ice. □ [+ of ] …a blue-grey sheet of dust.

6 → see also balance sheet , broadsheet , dust sheet , fact sheet , groundsheet , news-sheet , scoresheet , spreadsheet , worksheet

7as white as a sheet → see white

sheet|ing /ʃiː t I ŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft n N ] Sheeting is metal, plastic, or other material that is made in the form of sheets. □  They put plastic sheeting on the insides of our windows.

shee t met|al N‑UNCOUNT Sheet metal is metal which has been made into thin sheets.

shee t mu|sic N‑UNCOUNT Sheet music is music that is printed on sheets of paper without a hard cover. □  We were forbidden to bring sheet music, so I played from memory.

sheikh /ʃe I k, [AM ] ʃiː k/ (sheikhs ) N‑TITLE ; N‑COUNT A sheikh is a male Arab chief or ruler. □  …Sheikh Khalifa. □  …the sheik's role in global oil affairs.

sheikh|dom /ʃe I kdəm, [AM ] ʃiː k-/ (sheikhdoms ) also sheikdom N‑COUNT A sheikhdom is a country or region that is ruled by a sheikh.

shelf /ʃe lf/ (shelves )

1 N‑COUNT A shelf is a flat piece of wood, metal, or glass which is attached to a wall or to the sides of a cupboard. Shelves are used for keeping things on. □  He took a book from the shelf. □  …the middle shelf of the oven.

2 N‑COUNT A shelf is a section of rock on a cliff or mountain or underwater that sticks out like a shelf. □ [+ of ] The house stands on a shelf of rock among pines.

3 → see also continental shelf