What does "ewe" mean?
A female sheep, as opposed to a ram.
Ewe
/juː/ adj, name, noun, slang
adj, name, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A female sheep, as opposed to a ram.
- Grammar: ewe is listed as adj, name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: adult female sheep, bellwether, biddy, bitch.
- Useful contrasts: ram, rams, teg.
- Usage evidence: And thus the lion fell in love with the ewe.
How to use "ewe"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "ewe" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "ewe" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "ewe" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "ewe" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "ewe" is acting as adj, name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "adult female sheep" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "ewe", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A female sheep, as opposed to a ram.
"This twentie yeeres haue I bene with thee: thy ewes and thy ſhee goates haue not caſt their yong, and the rammes of thy flocke haue I not eaten."
- 2 An ethnic group who inhabit southeastern Ghana, Togo, and Benin. plural, singular
"Most Ewes are farmers or fishermen, although a growing number are urban dwellers living in Accra, Lomé, and other cities. The Ewes are a patrilineal people, with inheritance passing from father to son."
- 3 Initialism of extreme wildfire event. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
- 4 female sheep wordnet
- 5 Epilogue, What Epilogue?; a subgenre of Harry Potter fanfiction which pointedly ignores the epilogue of the final novel. Harry-Potter, countable, slang, uncountable
"A collective desire to explore some of the themes Rowling hadn't satisfactorily addressed helped fuel the development of hundreds of “Epilogue, What Epilogue?” (EWE) fanfics following the publication of Deathly Hallows."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 a Kwa language spoken by the Ewe in Ghana and Togo and Benin wordnet
- 7 a member of a people living in southern Benin and Togo and southeastern Ghana wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Of or pertaining to the Ewe people or language. not-comparable
Proper Noun
- 1 The Niger-Congo language, belonging to the Gbe family, spoken by these people.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"And thus the lion fell in love with the ewe."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "ewe"?
Common synonyms include: adult female sheep, bellwether, biddy, bitch, bossy, breeding ewe.
How do you use "ewe" in a sentence?
And thus the lion fell in love with the ewe.
How do you pronounce "ewe"?
Pronounced /juː/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English ewe, from Old English eowu, from Proto-West Germanic *awi, from Proto-Germanic *awiz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ówis (“sheep”). Cognates See also Old English ēow (“sheep”), West Frisian ei, Dutch ooi, German Aue); also Old Irish oí, Latin ovis, Tocharian B ā(ᵤ)w, Lithuanian avi̇̀s (“ewe”), Russian овца́ (ovcá).
Etymology 2
From Ewe Eʋe.