Not as many shorn sheep (3)
I believe the answer is:
ewe
'sheep' is the definition.
(ewe is a kind of sheep)
'not as many shorn' is the wordplay.
'not as many' becomes 'fewer' (similar in meaning).
'shorn' says to take the centre (shorn of edges).
The centre of 'fewer' is 'EWE'.
(Other definitions for ewe that I've seen before include "Farm animal" , "Scottish loch" , "One needing pastoral care" , "21a [SHEEP]" , "Female on farm" .)