How to Use sheepish in a Sentence

sheepish

adjective
  • He felt a little sheepish.
  • How does such a smart pooch feel about what the sheepish stork brought?
    — Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 7 Oct. 2021
  • Sugano walked off the mound with a sheepish grin.
    — Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Gardner said part of him was sheepish about telling his story.
    — Tony Semerad, The Salt Lake Tribune, 13 Nov. 2020
  • The broadcast later showed him back on the bench, with a sheepish look.
    — Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2022
  • The men in the row mill about now, striking sheepish smiles or mumbling quips.
    — Andrew Kay, Longreads, 17 July 2021
  • Red-cheeked and reticent, the duo shook their heads and took their sheepish leave.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Who knew a simple twist in dialect would leave Nagy a touch sheepish?
    — Dan Wiederer, chicagotribune.com, 28 July 2019
  • The next day, Katie felt a little sheepish about snapping at him.
    — The Salt Lake Tribune, 6 Oct. 2020
  • The sun seemed to slink in a low arc across the sky, as if somehow sheepish about showing up on such an odd day.
    — Washington Post, 26 Dec. 2021
  • So this season has left him a bit sour and sheepish, even after victories.
    — Carl Steward, The Mercury News, 5 June 2017
  • This is the same list that some sheepish suburb shoppers go hunting for online in the dead of night.
    — New York Times, 7 May 2021
  • Even Eilish, who was 18 at the time, seemed sheepish about the size of her haul that night.
    — Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 29 Jan. 2026
  • But for any men who are sheepish about seeking out a spa day, the Beer Spa takes the edge off.
    — Patrick Connolly, orlandosentinel.com, 22 Aug. 2021
  • Within seconds, a sheepish guy with the wide eyes of someone fresh out of college sat down across from me.
    — Nadia Bokody, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2018
  • The hasty conclusion ends the film on a sheepish note, without having gotten away with much at all.
    — J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 25 Sep. 2023
  • No one can argue with that, least of all the two company reps, both of whom by this point have been reduced to sheepish nods.
    — Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 May 2024
  • Smiling a sheepish smile, hands on his hips, squinting into the sun behind me, squinting at me.
    — EW.com, 8 Dec. 2020
  • With three little words and a sheepish raise of his eyebrows, the tension dissipates.
    — Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2022
  • Enrique Hernandez jogged on by with a sheepish and knowing grin.
    — Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 8 Oct. 2020
  • Eventually, Ackles gives him a sheepish grin as the video ends.
    — Lauren Huff, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2024
  • Park Hye-hi, the 10-year-old, wore pink glasses, white-and-pink Nikes and a sheepish smile.
    — Victoria Kim, latimes.com, 25 June 2019
  • Twenty minutes later, the son, 34, shows up, sheepish and sleepy from a weekend nap.
    — Tom Chiarella and James Lynch, Popular Mechanics, 15 May 2018
  • The next moment, forty different cousins-of-friends'-sisters are knocking on your door toting a six-pack and a sheepish smile.
    — Adrienne So, WIRED, 28 June 2018
  • His sheepish Europhilia announces itself and then cracks a joke to lighten the mood.
    — Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2023
  • The video shows her fiancé looking sheepish as Gaffney discovered the secret list.
    — Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Taking that to mean him, Styles made a sheepish face and pretended to dash off the stage, which was met with laughter and applause.
    — Karen Bliss, Billboard, 12 Sep. 2022
  • But Inouye-Perez has a habit of turning players into catchers, the coach says with a sheepish grin.
    — Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2022
  • In a few seconds, and more than once, a sheepish Mad Dog admitted to being friends with Mara.
    — Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2025
  • Before long, a fleet of slightly sheepish Bobbies elbowed their way onto the roof and put a premature end to the show.
    — Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE.com, 24 Nov. 2021

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

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