English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

shielded

adj

Fitted with a protective covering or barrier.

shielding

noun

Material or a barrier used to block or reduce a harmful force, such as radiation or a magnetic field.

Shields

name

A surname, and the name of several small towns and communities in the United States.

shift

verb

To move something from one place or position to another.

shifting

noun

A change or movement from one state, place, or position to another.

shiftless

adj

Lacking energy or drive; lazy.

shiftwork

noun

Work that is timetabled outside normal daytime hours.

shifty

adj

Looking or behaving as if dishonest or untrustworthy; evasive.

shifu

noun

A respected master or teacher, especially of a martial art or craft; a variant spelling of sifu.

shigellosis

noun

A form of dysentery caused by intestinal infection with Shigella bacteria

Shigeru

name

A Japanese male given name.

Shih

name

A Chinese surname, from the Wade-Giles romanisation of several different Mandarin surnames.

shii

noun

A pronunciation spelling of shit.

shiitake

noun

A wide, brown edible mushroom, Lentinula edodes.

shikha

noun

A single lock of hair left uncut on an otherwise shaved head, traditionally worn by orthodox Hindu priests.

shikigami

noun

A type of spirit or ghost found in Japanese folk tales.

Shikoku

name

The smallest of Japan's four main islands.

shill

noun

Someone paid to promote or endorse something while pretending to be an impartial customer.

shillaber

noun

A person who tricks others as part of a confidence scam.

Shilling

noun

A former British coin worth one-twentieth of a pound, still used as a currency unit in several countries.

shillingless

adj

Having no money at all; broke.

Shiloh

name

A biblical city where the Ark of the Covenant was once kept.

shim

noun

A thin piece of material used to fill a gap, level a surface, or provide support.

Shima

name

A Japanese surname.

shimada

noun

A traditional formal Japanese hairstyle for unmarried women, in which the hair is gathered and pinned atop the head.

Shimizu

name

A Japanese surname.

Shimla

name

The capital city of Himachal Pradesh in northern India.

shimmer

verb

To shine with a soft, faint, flickering light.

shimmering

adj

Shining with a soft, flickering light.

shimmy

noun

A dance move involving rapid, alternating shaking of the shoulders or hips.

Shimon

name

A male given name and surname of Hebrew origin.

shin

noun

The front part of the lower leg, between the knee and the ankle.

Shinagawa

name

A special ward of Tokyo, Japan.

shinbone

noun

The inner, and generally larger, of the two bones in the leg or hind limb beneath the knee.

Shinde

name

A surname of Hindi origin, common in India.

shindig

noun

A lively, noisy party or celebration.

shindy

noun

A noisy disturbance or commotion.

shine

verb

To give off or reflect light brightly.

shiner

noun

A bruise around the eye from being struck; a black eye.

shingle

noun

A thin, often overlapping piece of roofing or wall covering material.

shingles

noun

A painful viral infection causing a blistering rash, caused by reactivation of the chickenpox virus.

shinigami

noun

A god or spirit of death in Japanese folklore and popular fiction.

shininess

noun

The quality of reflecting light brightly; shine.

shining

adj

Giving off or reflecting bright light.

shinjitai

noun

The simplified form of Japanese kanji used after 1947.

Shinjuku

name

A major special ward of Tokyo, Japan, home to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office.

shinny

verb

To climb something clumsily, without smooth or graceful movement.

shinobi

noun

A male ninja, especially in traditional Japanese history and fiction.

Shinobu

name

A unisex Japanese given name.

Shinpei

name

A Japanese male given name.

Shinto

name

Japan's indigenous religion, centred on the worship of nature spirits and ancestors.

Shinwell

name

An English surname, notably borne by British Labour politician Emanuel Shinwell.

shiny

adj

Reflecting light off a smooth surface.

Shiori

name

A feminine Japanese given name, often meaning "bookmark" or "poem."

ship

noun

A large vessel built to carry people or cargo across water.

shipbuilder

noun

Someone whose job is constructing ships and boats.

shipbuilding

noun

The industry or process of designing and constructing ships.

shipload

noun

The quantity of goods that a single ship can hold.

shipman

noun

Another word for a sailor.

shipmaster

noun

The person in charge of a ship; its captain or commander.

shipment

noun

A batch of goods sent together to a destination.

shipped

adj

Sent or loaded as cargo, or travelling aboard a vessel.

shipper

noun

(dated) A sailor.

shipping

noun

The business or process of transporting goods.

shipshape

adj

Neat, tidy, and well organised.

shipwreck

noun

A ship that has sunk or been wrecked, or its remains.

shipwrecked

adj

Left stranded as a result of a ship being wrecked.

shipyard

noun

A place where ships are built and repaired.

Shira

name

A feminine given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "song."

Shiraz

noun

A dark-skinned grape variety used for making red wine, also called Syrah.

shire

noun

A county or administrative region, especially in England or Australia.

Shirin

name

A feminine given name of Persian origin, meaning "sweet."

shirk

verb

To avoid a duty or responsibility.

shirking

noun

The act of avoiding work or a duty.

Shirl

name

A feminine given name, an informal short form of Shirley.

Shirley

name

A given name, originally an English surname meaning "bright meadow," popular for girls from the 1920s to 1950s.

shiro

noun

An Ethiopian and Eritrean stew made from powdered chickpeas or broad-bean flour.

shirt

noun

A garment worn on the upper body, usually with sleeves and a collar.

shirtfront

noun

The front section of a shirt.

shirtless

adj

Not wearing a shirt; bare-chested.

shis

det

Used to show that something belongs to them; their.

shish

adj

Cooked on a skewer, as in shish kebab.

shisha

noun

A traditional smoking pipe from the Arab world, also called a hookah.

shiss

verb

(vulgar) To poo and wee at the same time.

shit

noun

(vulgar) Solid waste passed from the body; feces.

shitbag

noun

(vulgar, slang) A thoroughly worthless or despicable person.

shitcoin

noun

A cryptocurrency that the speaker regards as worthless, badly built, or created only so that its makers can profit from selling it.

shite

noun

(vulgar, chiefly British/Irish) Nonsense, trash, or rubbish.

shitfaced

adj

(vulgar, slang) Extremely drunk.

shithead

noun

(vulgar) A stupid or contemptible person.

shithole

noun

(vulgar, slang) A filthy, run-down, or generally unpleasant place.

shithouse

noun

(vulgar, dated) An outdoor toilet or outhouse.

shitless

adj

(vulgar, informal) Extremely frightened, as in "scared shitless."

shitload

noun

(vulgar, slang) A very large amount of something.

shits

noun

(vulgar, informal) Diarrhoea.

shitstorm

noun

(vulgar, informal) A chaotic, unpleasant situation, often involving public backlash.

shitter

noun

(vulgar, slang) A toilet.

shitting

noun

(vulgar) The act of defecating.

shitty

adj

(vulgar, informal) Very bad, unpleasant, or of poor quality.

shiv

noun

A makeshift knife, often improvised from an everyday object.

shiva

noun

In Judaism, a seven-day period of formal mourning for a close relative.

Shivaji

name

A masculine Indian given name, famously borne by the seventeenth-century Maratha king who founded the Maratha Empire.

Shivani

name

A female given name of Sanskrit origin, popular in India.

shive

noun

A slice, particularly of bread.

shiver

verb

To tremble briefly, usually from cold, fear, or a strong emotion.

shivering

noun

The action of trembling, typically from cold, fear, or fever.

shivoo

noun

(informal) A party or celebration.

Shizuka

name

A Japanese given name used for both men and women.

Shizuko

name

A Japanese female given name.

shlenter

noun

Something fake, especially an imitation diamond.

Shlomo

name

A Jewish male given name, the Hebrew form of "Solomon."

shmoose

noun

A small protein involved in how the brain uses energy, thought to be connected to Alzheimer's disease.

sho

noun

A Japanese free-reed mouth organ, related to the Chinese sheng, used in traditional court music.

shoah

name

The systematic mass murder (genocide) of an estimated six million European Jews perpetrated by Nazi Germany during World War II.

shoal

noun

A large group of fish swimming together.

Shoals

name

A surname and place name, notably Muscle Shoals, a city in Alabama known for its music recording studios.

shoat

noun

A young pig that has stopped feeding on its mother's milk, or a piglet in general.

shock

noun

A sudden, jarring surprise or emotional blow.

shocked

adj

Feeling sudden surprise or dismay, often mixed with disapproval.

shocker

noun

Something so unexpected or badly done that it startles people.

shocking

adj

Extremely surprising, upsetting, or disturbing.

shockingly

adv

To a surprising or disturbing degree.

shod

adj

Wearing shoes, or fitted with a protective covering (as a horse with horseshoes or a wheel with tires).

shoddy

adj

Badly made or of poor quality.

shoe

noun

An outer covering for the foot, usually with a sturdy sole, that stops short of the ankle.

shoebill

noun

A shoebill is a large wading bird, Balaeniceps rex, related to the stork and found in tropical African swamps.

shoebox

noun

The cardboard box a pair of shoes is sold in.

shoehorn

noun

A smooth, curved tool used to help slide your heel into a shoe.

shoeing

noun

The process of fitting horseshoes onto an animal.

shoelace

noun

A cord or string used to fasten a shoe.

shoeless

adj

Not wearing any shoes.

shoemaker

noun

A person who makes or repairs shoes.

shoeman

name

A surname of German, variant of Schumann origin.

shoemann

name

A surname of German, variant of Schumann origin.

shoeshine

noun

The act of polishing shoes, or the glossy result.

shoestring

noun

A cord used to fasten a shoe onto the foot; a shoelace.

shoetree

noun

A device shaped like a foot, put inside a shoe to help it keep its shape when not worn.

shogun

noun

The top military ruler of feudal Japan, who governed in the emperor's name.

shogunate

noun

The government, rank, or period of rule of a shogun.

shoji

noun

A sliding Japanese screen or door made of a wooden frame covered in translucent paper.

Sholto

name

A masculine given name of Scottish Gaelic origin, historically associated with Scottish nobility.

Shona

name

A Bantu language spoken mainly in Zimbabwe and parts of Mozambique.

Shone

verb

Past tense of "shine" — gave off light, or performed impressively.

shonky

adj

(informal) Badly made, unreliable or dishonest.

shoo

verb

To wave or gesture at a person or animal to make them go away.

shoogly

adj

(informal) Wobbly and unsteady.

shook

verb

Past tense of "shake."

shooketh

adj

(informal) Very shocked or surprised.

Shoop

noun

An image that has been digitally altered, usually in Photoshop, to create a misleading or comedic effect.

shoot

verb

To fire a weapon, or to hit someone or something with a projectile from one.