English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

Sharma

name

A surname common among Hindi and Telugu speakers in India.

Sharman

name

An English surname.

sharn

noun

Cow or sheep dung.

Sharon

name

A female given name derived from a biblical place name in Israel — a fertile coastal plain.

Sharona

name

A female given name, a variant of Sharon.

sharp

adj

Having a fine edge or point that can cut or pierce easily.

Sharpe

name

An English surname, an older spelling of Sharp.

sharpen

verb

To make something sharp or sharper.

sharpened

adj

Given a fine point or edge.

sharpener

noun

A tool or device used to make something sharp, such as a pencil sharpener or knife sharpener.

sharpening

noun

The process of making something sharp.

sharper

noun

A swindler or professional cheat, especially in gambling.

Sharpie

noun

A permanent marker pen, especially one made by the Sharpie brand, commonly used for labelling or signing.

sharply

adv

Suddenly and abruptly.

sharpness

noun

The quality of having a fine edge or point.

sharpshooter

noun

A person highly skilled at shooting accurately, especially with a rifle.

shart

verb

(informal) To accidentally pass solid waste while breaking wind.

Shashi

name

A male given name of Sanskrit origin, used in India, associated with the moon.

shashlik

noun

A form of shish kebab, originally made of marinated lamb meat.

Shasta

name

A brand of soda popular in the United States.

shastri

noun

A teacher or scholar of traditional Hindu scriptures (shastras).

shat

noun

A pine needle — an old, now-rare regional word.

Shatner

name

A surname of English origin, best known from actor William Shatner.

shatter

verb

To break suddenly and violently into many pieces.

shattered

adj

Broken violently into many pieces.

shattering

adj

Deeply upsetting or devastating.

Shaun

name

A given name, traditionally male, of Irish origin — a spelling variant of Sean.

Shauna

name

A female given name, a feminine form of Shaun.

shave

verb

To cut hair close to the skin using a razor or similar tool.

shaved

adj

Having had hair cut very close to the skin, or having been sliced thinly.

shaveling

noun

Someone with a shaved head, especially a monk or priest with a tonsure.

shaven

adj

Having been shaved, especially of the face or head.

shaver

noun

A tool, especially an electric razor, used to remove hair.

shaving

noun

A thin strip or curl of material removed by cutting or shaving.

shaw

noun

(dialectal, British) A small wood or thicket.

shawarma

noun

A Middle Eastern dish of thin strips of roasted meat, such as lamb, chicken or beef, wrapped in flatbread.

shawhan

name

A surname of Irish origin.

shawl

noun

A piece of fabric worn over the shoulders, neck, or head, especially by women.

Shawna

name

A female given name, a variant spelling of Shauna.

Shawnee

noun

A member of a Native American people originally from the Ohio Valley region.

Shawshank

verb

(slang) To escape from confinement, especially through patient, secretive effort over a long time.

shay

noun

An old-fashioned light horse-drawn carriage.

Shayne

name

A male given name of Irish origin.

Shaz

name

An informal short form of the female names Sharon or Shazia.

shazam

interjection

Said to announce that a magic trick or sudden transformation has just happened.

Shazia

name

A female given name of Arabic origin, meaning something rare or precious.

shazza

name

A diminutive of the male given name Sharon.

she

pronoun

Used to refer to a female person or animal already mentioned.

she/her

noun phrase

A set of personal pronouns a person uses for themselves, given so that others know to refer to them as she and her. Commonly stated in introductions, email signatures and social media profiles.

she/they

noun phrase

A pronoun set indicating that a person is happy to be referred to as either she or they, often used by people whose gender is partly or wholly outside the female category while still connected to it.

Shea

noun

A West African tree whose seeds produce a rich, fatty butter used in cooking and cosmetics.

sheaf

noun

A bundle of cut wheat, rye or other grain stalks, tied together.

shear

verb

To cut the wool off a sheep or similar animal.

shearing

noun

The process of clipping wool from a sheep, or the wool collected this way.

shears

noun

A large scissor-like cutting tool with two pivoting blades, used for tasks like trimming hedges or cutting sheet metal.

sheath

noun

A close-fitting cover that protects a blade, such as a sword or knife.

sheathe

verb

To put (something such as a knife or sword) into a sheath.

sheathing

noun

A layer of material that covers and protects something else.

Sheba

name

An ancient kingdom mentioned in the Bible and Quran, famous for its wealthy queen.

shebang

noun

Informal: the whole thing; every part of a situation or undertaking (usually "the whole shebang").

shed

noun

A small, simple structure used for storage or shelter, usually in a garden or yard.

shedded

adj

Fitted with, or covered by, a shed.

shedder

noun

A crab that has just shed its shell, or is doing so, while its new shell is still soft.

shedding

noun

The process of losing hair, skin, leaves, or similar material naturally.

shedload

noun

(informal) A very large quantity of something.

Sheehan

name

A surname of Irish origin.

Sheela

name

A female given name of South Asian origin.

sheen

noun

A soft shine or gloss on a surface.

Sheena

name

A female given name of Scottish Gaelic origin.

sheeny

adj

Shiny and smooth-looking.

sheep

noun

A woolly grazing animal kept for its meat, wool, or milk.

sheepdog

noun

A dog trained to herd or guard sheep.

sheepfold

noun

An enclosure built to keep sheep in.

sheepish

adj

Behaving in a mild, timid way, similar to a sheep.

sheeple

noun

People seen as following orders or popular opinion without thinking for themselves.

sheepskin

noun

The hide of a sheep, especially tanned with the wool left on, used for clothing, rugs, or bookbinding.

sheer

adjective

Thin enough to see through.

sheesh

interjection

Used to express disbelief, frustration, or mild exasperation.

sheet

noun

A large piece of thin cloth used to cover a mattress or bed.

Sheetal

name

A female given name of South Asian origin.

sheetrock

noun

A building material for walls and ceilings, made of gypsum plaster pressed between two sheets of thick paper; also called drywall or plasterboard.

sheets

noun

Plural of sheet; also used for a great quantity of rain falling heavily.

sheik

noun

A leader of an Arab family, village, or tribe.

Sheikh

noun

Alternative spelling of sheik: a respected Arab leader, elder, or Islamic scholar.

sheila

noun

Australian and New Zealand slang for a woman.

Shek

name

A surname of Cantonese origin.

shekel

noun

The currency unit of modern Israel, also the name of a currency unit of ancient Israel.

Shel

name

A short form of the male given name Sheldon.

Sheldon

name

A male given name and surname of English origin.

shelf

noun

A flat board fixed to a wall or cabinet, used for holding or displaying objects.

Shelia

name

A female given name, a variant spelling of Sheila.

shell

noun

The hard outer covering of certain animals, such as snails, crabs, and turtles, or of eggs and nuts.

shellac

noun

A substance made from the secretion of the lac insect, used in polishes and varnishes.

shelled

adjective

Having had the outer shell removed.

Shelley

name

The English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 to 1822), known for works like "Ozymandias."

shellfish

noun

An aquatic animal with a shell, such as a crab, mussel, or oyster, especially one eaten as food.

shellie

noun

A very small shell.

shelling

noun

A sustained attack using artillery.

Shells

name

A surname.

Shelly

adj

Made up of the shells of dead sea creatures.

shelter

noun

A place, or structure, that protects you from bad weather, danger, or attack.

sheltered

adj

Protected from bad weather or harsh conditions.

sheltering

noun

A structure that people can shelter beneath; a covered shelter.

Shelton

name

An English surname and given name, also the name of several towns in England and the United States.

shelve

verb

To fit a place, such as a library, with shelves.

shelved

adj

Fitted with shelves.

shelving

adj

Sloping, rather than flat or upright.

shemozzle

noun

(informal) A messy, confused situation.

shen

noun

In Chinese folk religion, a spirit or deity.

Shenandoah

name

A river and valley in Virginia, also the name of several towns across the United States.

shenanigan

noun

Behaviour that is dishonest and sly, or simply playful and mischievous.

shenanigans

noun

Mischievous or high-spirited behaviour; playful goings-on.

shend

verb

To bring shame on someone.

sheng

noun

A traditional Chinese wind instrument made of bamboo pipes of different lengths set into a small wind chest, played by blowing or drawing breath through a mouthpiece.

Shenzhen

noun

A major city in southeastern China, just north of Hong Kong, known for its rapid growth as a tech and manufacturing hub.

Shep

noun

A shortened, informal form of the name Shepherd or Sheppard.

Shephard

name

An English surname, a variant spelling of Shepherd.

shepherd

noun

A person whose job is to look after a flock of sheep.

shepherdess

noun

A woman who tends sheep.

Sheppard

name

An English surname, a variant of Shepherd, originally an occupational name for one who tends sheep.

Sher

name

A surname and given name found in South Asian and Jewish traditions, in Persian and Urdu meaning "lion."

Sheraton

noun

A late 18th-century English furniture style, named after designer Thomas Sheraton, known for slim tapered legs, fine fluting, and inlaid veneer decoration.

sherbet

noun

A frozen dessert of fruit juice or puree with a small amount of dairy added, milder and creamier than a sorbet.

Shere

name

A surname and place name, notably Shere, a village in Surrey, England.

Sheri

name

A feminine given name, a variant spelling of Sherry or Cheri.

Sheridan

name

An Irish surname and given name, from the Gaelic meaning "seeker" or "searcher."

Sherif

name

A masculine given name and surname of Arabic origin, meaning "noble" or "honorable."

sheriff

noun

An elected or appointed official responsible for law enforcement and running the county jail in a US county.

sherley

name

A unisex first name that came from a family name.

Sherlock

noun

A detective, or (often sarcastic) a term for someone who has just pointed out something obvious.

sherm

noun

Slang for the drug PCP (phencyclidine), or a cigarette dipped in it.

Sherman

noun

The Sherman tank, the main American and Allied battle tank of World War II.

Sherpa

noun

A member of a Himalayan ethnic group from Nepal and Tibet, well known for skill in high-altitude mountaineering.

Sherri

name

A feminine given name, a variant spelling of Sherry.

sherry

noun

A fortified wine originally from Jerez, Spain, ranging from dry to sweet.

Sherwood

name

A surname, or the name of the historic forest in Nottinghamshire, England.

Sheryl

name

A feminine given name, a variant of Cheryl, popularized in the twentieth century.

shetland

noun

A lightweight, loosely woven wool fabric, or wool from Shetland sheep used to make it.

Shetty

name

An Indian surname common among communities from the state of Karnataka.

shew

verb

An archaic spelling of show.

shh

intj

Used to tell someone to be quiet.

shhh

intj

A drawn-out version of shh, used for extra emphasis.

Shi

name

A Chinese surname, written with a character that can mean "history" or "clan."

Shia

name

A masculine given name notably borne by American actor Shia LaBeouf.

shiatsu

noun

A Japanese massage therapy in which the practitioner applies pressure with thumbs and palms to specific points on the body.

Shiba

name

A Japanese surname and the name of a small dog breed, the Shiba Inu.

Shibata

name

A Japanese surname, also the name of a city in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.

shibboleth

noun

A word, pronunciation, or custom used to identify members of a particular group and mark them out from outsiders.

Shibuya

name

A busy special ward of Tokyo, Japan, famous for its crossing, shopping, and nightlife.

shield

noun

A piece of protective armour carried in the hand or on the arm to block blows or weapons.