razor
Americannoun
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razors
plural
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a sharp-edged instrument used especially for shaving the face or trimming the hair.
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an electrically powered instrument used for the same purpose.
verb (used with object)
idioms
noun
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a sharp implement used esp by men for shaving the face
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in an acute dilemma
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of razor
1250–1300; Middle English rasour < Old French rasor, equivalent to ras ( er ) to raze + -or -or 2
Explanation
If you need to shave, you'll want to use a razor. It's a tool that's made for removing unwanted hair. There are straight razors (the old-fashioned kind that barbers sometimes use), safety razors for shaving faces and legs, and electric razors that use spinning blades to trim beards or shave heads. A hair stylist also might use razor as a verb: "Let me just razor the ends and we'll be done!" Razor comes from the Old French raser, "to scrape."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
On the window ledge sit the manly accoutrements of shaving: a Barbasol aerosol canister and a safety razor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
During the brief return, Jose Luis watered the plants and grabbed his electric razor.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
The body may be slower but the brain remains razor sharp.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
“It’s sort of a neon razor blade story of the American dream — we didn’t fit in anywhere, so we made a place for ourselves where we did fit in,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
Little prickly firs grow out of every crevice and yellow vines with thorns wrapping themselves around the firs’ trunks and you can see and hear yellow razor lizards hissing at us as we pass.
From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness
From razors to soda, private label keeps eating retail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
But today, Schick’s owner, Edgewell Personal Care, makes razors not only under the Schick name but for Walmart’s Equate private-label brand and Target’s Up & Up line.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Procter & Gamble declined 1.4% after the owner of brands such as Gilette razors and Crest toothpaste posted softer-than-expected revenue for its fiscal second quarter.
From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026
Research has shown, however, that it can also spread through indirect contact such as shared toothbrushes and razors.
From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2025
When she speaks, her words are straight razors.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
