English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

shooter

noun

A person who fires a weapon.

shooting

noun

An incident in which someone is shot, or the sport of firing guns at targets.

shootout

noun

A gun battle, especially a decisive one.

shoots

adj

Fine, okay, or in agreement (Hawaiian pidgin usage).

shop

noun

A place, physical or online, where goods or services are sold.

shopette

noun

Another word for a convenience store.

shopfront

noun

The part of a shop that faces onto the street, often fitted with windows for displaying goods.

shopkeeper

noun

A person who owns or runs a small retail shop.

shoplift

verb

To steal goods from a shop while it is open for business.

shoplifter

noun

A person who steals goods from a shop.

shoplifting

noun

The crime of stealing goods from a shop.

shopper

noun

A person who is shopping or who shops regularly.

shopping

noun

The activity of buying goods, or of browsing for things to buy.

shore

noun

The land bordering a sea, lake, or other large body of water.

shoreline

noun

The line or boundary where land meets a body of water.

short

adjective

Not long in length, distance, or duration.

short selling

noun

The practice of selling shares or other assets that you have borrowed rather than own, with the intention of buying them back later and returning them; the seller gains if the price has fallen in between and loses if it has risen.

short sighted

adjective

Unable to see distant objects clearly, so that things far away appear blurred while close-up things stay sharp.

shortage

noun

A situation where there is not enough of something needed.

shortbread

noun

A crumbly, buttery biscuit traditionally made with sugar, butter, and flour, popular in Britain.

shortcake

noun

A sweet, crumbly cake or biscuit, often served in layers with fruit and cream.

shortcoming

noun

A fault or weakness in someone or something that stops them being as good as they should be.

shortcut

verb

To take a quicker or more direct route or method than usual.

shorted

adjective

Wearing shorts.

shorten

verb

To make something shorter in length, duration, or extent.

shorter

noun

A comparative form of short; also, someone who engages in short selling.

shortfall

noun

A case of not reaching a target, quota, or other expected level.

shorthand

noun

A fast system of writing using symbols or abbreviations instead of full words.

shorthanded

adjective

Not having enough staff or workers to operate normally.

shorting

noun

The practice of short selling — betting a stock or asset will fall in price.

shorting a stock

noun

The practice of borrowing shares you do not own, selling them at the current price, and later buying them back to return to the lender, aiming to profit if the price has fallen in between.

shortlist

verb

To put something onto a short list.

shortlisted

verb

Placed on the small final group of candidates or entries chosen from a larger field to go forward to the last stage of selection.

shortly

adverb

Soon, or after a brief time.

shortness

noun

The state or quality of being short, in height, length, or duration.

shorts

noun

Trousers cut off above the knee, worn in warm weather or for sport.

shortsome

adj

Having the quality of being short; or, of time, pleasant and enjoyable.

shortstop

noun

In baseball, the infield position (and player) between second and third base.

shortwave

noun

A radio wave with a wavelength of roughly 10 to 100 metres, used for long-distance broadcasting.

shorty

noun

Someone or something shorter than average; often used as an affectionate nickname.

shoshana

name

A female first name of Hebrew origin.

Shostakovich

name

An English transliteration of the Russian surname Shostakóvich, most famously borne by the composer Dmitri Shostakovich.

shot

noun

The firing of a gun, or the result of firing it.

Shota

name

A male given name of Georgian origin.

shote

noun

A fish similar to a trout, known as the grayling.

shotgun

noun

A gun that fires a spray of small metal pellets, typically used for hunting or sport shooting.

should

verb

Used to give advice, an opinion, or an instruction about what is right or expected.

shoulder

noun

The joint and surrounding area where the arm meets the torso.

shouse

noun

An outdoor building used as a toilet.

shout

verb

To say something loudly, especially to express strong emotion or get attention.

shout-out

noun

A brief public expression of thanks, praise or greeting to a named person or group.

shouter

noun

Someone who shouts.

shouting

noun

The act of crying out loudly.

shove

verb

To push something or someone roughly.

shovel

verb

To move earth, snow, or other loose material using a shovel.

shovelful

noun

The amount a shovel can hold or lift in one go.

shover

noun

Someone who pushes or shoves something.

shoving

noun

The act of pushing roughly.

show

verb

To let someone see something.

Showa

name

The Japanese imperial era running from 1926 to 1989, spanning WWII and Japan's postwar economic recovery.

showboat

noun

A river steamboat with an onboard theatre, once used for travelling entertainment.

showcase

noun

A glass case used to display items attractively.

showcasing

noun

An occasion when something is put on display to show it off.

showdown

noun

A final, decisive confrontation between rivals.

shower

noun

A device that sprays water over a person for washing, or the act of washing this way.

showering

noun

Something that falls or is given in a shower-like burst.

showery

adj

Marked by frequent rain showers.

showgirl

noun

A female performer, typically in a dance or musical stage show, often in elaborate costume.

showing

noun

An instance of something being shown or displayed, such as a film screening or exhibition.

showman

noun

Someone skilled at presenting or performing for an audience, often the person running a show such as a circus.

showmanship

noun

Skill at putting on an engaging, confident performance or presentation.

shown

verb

The past participle of "show".

showpiece

noun

Something of very high quality that people admire when it is shown.

showroom

noun

A room used by a business to display its products to customers.

showstopper

noun

A moment in a performance so impressive that it draws a huge audience reaction.

showstopping

adj

Amazing, like a true showstopper.

showtime

noun

The scheduled start time of a performance or event.

showy

adj

Flashy or attracting a lot of attention, often in an exaggerated way.

shrank

noun

A large, ornately decorated cabinet or wardrobe in the German/Dutch Pennsylvania Dutch tradition.

shrapnel

noun

Metal fragments or fragments thrown out by an exploding shell, bomb, or mine.

shred

noun

A small torn or cut strip or fragment of something.

shredded

adj

Cut or torn into narrow strips or small pieces.

shredder

noun

A machine that cuts paper or other material into thin strips, often to destroy sensitive documents.

shredding

noun

The act of cutting or tearing something into shreds.

Shrek

noun

An extremely or comically ugly person (used as slang, from the animated character).

Shreveport

name

A city in northwestern Louisiana, named after its founder, Henry Miller Shreve.

shrew

noun

A small, mouse-like, mostly nocturnal mammal with a pointed snout.

shrewd

adj

Showing sharp, practical judgment, especially in business or dealing with people.

Shrewsbury

name

A historic market town in Shropshire, England, and the county town of Shropshire.

Shreya

name

A feminine Indian given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "auspicious" or "the best."

Shri

noun

A respectful title placed before a man's name, roughly equivalent to "Mr." in South Asian usage.

shriek

noun

A sharp, high-pitched scream or cry.

shrieking

adj

Making a sharp, high-pitched sound.

shrike

noun

A songbird of the family Laniidae that hunts small animals and hangs its leftovers on thorns.

shrill

adj

High-pitched and sharp, often unpleasantly so.

shrimati

noun

A polite title placed before a woman's name, equivalent to Mrs.

shrimp

noun

A small, edible, long-tailed crustacean with slender legs.

shrine

noun

A place considered sacred and dedicated to a deity, saint, or revered figure.

shrink

verb

To become or make smaller.

shrinkage

noun

The process of shrinking, or how much something shrinks.

shrinking

adj

Shy, timid, or reluctant to draw attention to oneself.

shrive

verb

To listen to or take a person's confession of sins.

shrivel

verb

To shrink and wrinkle, especially from losing moisture.

shriveled

adj

Shrunk and wrinkled, typically from drying out.

shrivelled

adj

Wrinkled because it has lost volume while its outer surface stayed the same size.

Shropshire

noun

A breed of black-faced, hornless sheep originally from the English county of the same name.

shroud

noun

A cloth used to wrap a dead body for burial.

shrouded

adj

Concealed or hidden, as if covered by a shroud.

shrub

noun

A woody plant smaller than a tree, usually with several stems growing from its base.

shrubbery

noun

An area planted with shrubs, or shrubs collectively.

shrubland

noun

Land covered mainly in shrubs.

shrug

verb

To raise the shoulders briefly to show indifference, uncertainty, or a lack of concern.

shrunk

adj

Reduced in size; shrunken.

shrunken

adj

Made noticeably smaller, especially through age, illness, or shrinkage.

shruti

noun

The smallest audible difference in pitch used in Indian classical music theory.

shtick

noun

A repeated, characteristic routine or gimmick used to attract attention or amuse an audience.

Shu

name

A Chinese surname and given name, also the name of an ancient Egyptian god of air.

shuck

noun

The outer shell or husk of something, such as corn or a nut.

shucks

intj

An exclamation of mild disappointment.

shudder

verb

To shake briefly, usually from fear, cold, or disgust.

shuddering

noun

A prolonged or repeated shudder.

Shue

name

A surname notably borne by American actress Elisabeth Shue.

shuffle

verb

To mix cards, tracks, or items into a random order.

shuffleboard

noun

A game where players slide discs or pucks across a long board toward marked scoring zones.

shuffled

adj

Mixed up or jumbled together.

shufflepuck

noun

Another name for the game of shuffleboard.

shuffling

noun

The act of walking with dragging steps, or of mixing something into a random order.

shug

name

A Scottish nickname generally given to people whose first name is Hew, Hugh, or another spelling of that name.

Shukla

name

An Indian surname of Sanskrit origin, meaning "white" or "pure," traditionally associated with Brahmin priests.

shula

name

A diminutive of the female given name Shulamith, from Hebrew.

shulamit

name

A female first name of Hebrew, variant of Shulamith, masculine equivalent Shlomo, equivalent to English Salome origin.

shulamith

name

A female first name of Hebrew, masculine equivalent Shlomo, equivalent to English Salome origin.

Shum

name

A Chinese surname, a Cantonese romanization of the surname often written Shen in Mandarin.

shumai

noun

A steamed Chinese pork dumpling often served as part of dim sum.

shun

verb

To deliberately avoid someone or something, often as a form of social rejection.

shunning

noun

The act of deliberately avoiding someone or something.

shunt

verb

To move something (often a train) onto a different track or path.

shura

noun

A council that offers advice or guidance to a ruler or leader.

shush

verb

To tell someone to be quiet, usually by saying "shh."

shushing

noun

The act of making a "shh" sound to silence someone.

Shuster

name

A surname of Yiddish or German origin, an occupational name meaning "shoemaker."

shut

verb

To close something, such as a door, book, or business.

shutdown

noun

The act of stopping something from operating, such as a computer, factory, or government.

shutout

noun

(industrial relations) Shutting workers out of their workplace so they cannot work, as in a lockout.

shutter

noun

A hinged or sliding panel used to cover a window.

shutterbug

noun

Someone who is keen on photography as a hobby.

shutting

noun

The act of closing something.

shuttle

noun

A vehicle or service that travels back and forth between two places.

shuttlecock

noun

A light, cone-shaped object with a cork or rubber tip, hit like a ball in badminton.

shuttlecraft

noun

A small spacecraft used mainly for short trips, often between a larger ship and a planet's surface.