What does wheep mean?
Wheep is a chiefly Scottish and northern English word for a thin, high-pitched cry. As a verb, it describes the sound made by a sheep or lamb; as a noun, it names that cry. The word is strongly associated with the bleating of sheep, but it also has a secondary Scottish sense meaning to cry or weep, preserved in older dialect vocabulary. In writing, wheep is most often encountered in dialect quotation, literary description, or discussions of regional English rather than in ordinary contemporary standard English. Its unusual spelling makes it memorable, while its pronunciation is straightforward: “weep,” with the vowel of “see” rather than the vowel of “get.” The best-known sheep-call sense should not be confused with the standard English verb weep, meaning to shed tears. The term is useful for recognizing and reproducing the particular sound of a sheep and for understanding a small but recognizable layer of Scottish and northern English vocabulary.
A thin, high-pitched cry, especially the call made by a sheep or lamb; in Scottish dialect, a cry or lament.
"The shepherd answered the distant wheep with a low whistle."
The sheep-call sense is chiefly dialectal and literary.
To make a thin, high-pitched cry, especially as a sheep or lamb. In Scottish dialect, it can also mean to cry or weep.
"The ewe wheeped softly as the shepherd approached."
The sense meaning to cry or weep is chiefly associated with Scottish dialect and older usage.
The standard plural is wheeps.
"Soft wheeps came from the flock beyond the ridge."
A sheep has its own word for its high-pitched call: wheep.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of wheep
The word is recorded from the early modern period and is generally regarded as imitative, formed in imitation of a thin, high-pitched cry, on the model of words such as peep. Its association with sheep arises from that sound, while Scottish records also preserve the sense “cry or weep.” As an imitative formation rather than a regular inheritance from an ancient root, it does not have a conventional set of direct cognates that can be listed confidently.
Related word forms
How wheep is actually used
The sheep-call sense is chiefly dialectal and is also encountered in literary description. The Scottish sense meaning to cry or weep is older and less common in modern writing.
Easily confused with wheep
In its distinctive sheep-call sense, wheep denotes a high-pitched animal cry, whereas weep normally means to shed tears.