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

But bighorn — with their broad, curved horns — can’t squeeze through.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2026

Here, in the Jacumba Wilderness, people are halted at the border by federal agents, but Peninsular bighorn sheep have long migrated back and forth.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2026

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

In a move that reverses nearly a decade of practice, California wildlife officials have quietly begun to allow killing mountain lions in order to protect another iconic native — bighorn sheep.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

Matt cautiously peered around a bush and saw two bighorn sheep thunder at each other like a pair of farm trucks.

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer