bighorn

¹ American  

[big-hawrn] / ˈbɪgˌhɔrn /

noun

plural

bighorns,

plural

bighorn

1. a wild sheep, Ovis canadensis, of the Rocky Mountains, with large, curving horns.

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Bighorn ² American  

[big-hawrn] / ˈbɪgˌhɔrn /

noun

1. a river flowing from central Wyoming to the Yellowstone River in S Montana. 336 miles (540 km) long.

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bighorn British  

/ ˈbɪɡˌhɔːn /

noun

1. a large wild sheep, Ovis canadensis , inhabiting mountainous regions in North America and NE Asia: family Bovidae , order Artiodactyla . The male has massive curved horns, and the species is well adapted for climbing and leaping

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Etymology

Origin of bighorn

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85; big ¹ + horn

Example Sentences

Aiello, looking at data from a GPS collar on a computer screen, saw a bighorn on the Mexico side walking in a straight line, as if along something, appearing to try to cross.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2026

Today, bighorn eke out an existence among the russet-tinged barrel cacti, which they sometimes turn to for water in the harsh desert.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2026

For example, when hiking in Cucamonga, you might spot bighorn sheep, while Magic Mountain is occasionally host to a California condor passing through.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2025

So this summer they put him down by lethal injection, according to Tom Stephenson, who leads the Sierra Nevada bighorn recovery program for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

They were the trackers, they could follow the trail of a bighorn sheep in the stone mountains.

From "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck