shin
noun
the front part of the leg from the knee to the ankle.
shin
1 American
[shin]
/ ʃɪn /
noun
-
the front part of the leg from the knee to the ankle.
-
the lower part of the foreleg in cattle.
-
the shinbone or tibia, especially its sharp edge or front portion.
-
Chiefly British. a cut of beef similar to the U.S. shank, usually cut into small pieces for stewing.
verb (used with or without object)
-
shins,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shinned,
past participle, past
-
shinning
present participle
shin
2
American
[sheen, shin]
/ ʃin, ʃɪn /
noun
-
the 21st letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
-
the consonant sound represented by this letter.
shīn
3
American
[sheen]
/ ʃin /
noun
Shin
4
American
[shin, sheen]
/ ʃɪn, ʃin /
noun
Buddhism.
shin
1
British
/ ʃɪn /
noun
-
the front part of the lower leg
-
the front edge of the tibia
-
a cut of beef, the lower foreleg
verb
-
to climb (a pole, tree, etc) by gripping with the hands or arms and the legs and hauling oneself up
-
(tr) to kick (a person) in the shins
shin
2
British
/ ʃɪn /
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
shinsimple
-
shinssimple
-
have shinnedperfect
-
has shinnedperfect
-
am shinningprogressive
-
are shinningprogressive
-
is shinningprogressive
-
have been shinningperfect progressive
-
has been shinningperfect progressive
Past
-
shinnedsimple
-
had shinnedperfect
-
was shinningprogressive
-
were shinningprogressive
-
had been shinningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shin1
before 1000; Middle English shine, Old English scinu; cognate with Dutch scheen, German Schien ( bein )
Origin of shin2
1895–1900; < Hebrew shīn, akin to shēn tooth
Origin of shīn3
From Arabic
Origin of Shin4
1895–1900; < Japanese: literally, faith < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese zhēn truth
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:
The officer, who received minor injuries, said the leg and shin protections on his riot uniform melted.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
Even Shadab was convinced he was out when he was hit on the shin by Atkinson's low full toss - he called for the hopeful review as he was walking off the field.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
During these visits, participants walked on a treadmill while wearing a small device on their shin.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
Milwaukee Brewers: Huntington Beach Marina High product Jake Bauers has suffered from shin splints almost all season, and the pain has kept him from playing the outfield lately.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
I’m so excited, I fall down again and crack another shin but I don’t even care that it hurts because I got a fish on the line.
From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick
People joked the council should "make an official ID for Bukangi and give a pension", Shin Seungmin said.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
People who knew the artist from one world didn’t necessarily know about the other — a divide that Gray’s wife, artist Kyungmi Shin, likened to the separation between church and state.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
Under Israel’s division of labor, the Shin Bet internal security service oversees the country’s airlines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Also in the pool, Japanese swimmer Shin Ohashi, himself only 17, smashed the men's 200m breaststroke world record to delight the home crowd.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
The officer stared at Shin for about five minutes.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
Parton, never dropping her megawatt smile, replied, “If you had’ve, it would have been something very natural. But I would have probably kicked your shins or something.”
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
In slalom, racers typically knock down gates with their arms or shins, which are protected by plastic shin guards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2026
Gilgeous-Alexander was sidelined by a sprained ankle while Holmgren was nursing sore shins, both joining Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams on OKC's injured list.
From Barron's ● Jan. 10, 2026
That helped later in life when the professional-sports business dealt him the financial equivalent of a kick in the shins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
It sounded as though Ron had just kicked Lockhart in the shins.
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
And the 37-year-old settled the game when he shinned Lamine Yamal's header across goal and past his own keeper.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2023
Clucas' effort took a deflection off the boot of Moussa Sissoko and flew into the corner, while Tymon shinned a first-time cross over Elliot's head.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2021
“See, it’s not difficult,” Mr. Violini, a restoration specialist at the Vatican Museums, said as he slowly shinned up the frescoed stairwell leading up to a once-private papal chapel in Rome.
From New York Times ● Apr. 10, 2019
Out went Geoff Cameron, whose shinned clearance had gifted Nani the opening goal against Portugal, and whose drop in concentration was a contributing factor, but certainly not the sole cause, in the second.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 27, 2014
“Just a few weeks ago two men offered my son, Eric, a couple of hundred dollars to locate a sharp- shinned hawk nest for them.”
From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
As it was, it took two set-pieces break down the visitors, with Hofmann shinning a volley through a crowded penalty area after the initial ball in was not cleared.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2024
The 16-year-old was signed in December after shinning in Tacoma Defiance matches last year.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 17, 2022
"All love on my end shawty, Keep shinning!"
From Fox News ● Feb. 22, 2021
I experienced Ustvolskaya’s magnificent chords and resonances as heat and light, while that shinning orb overhead became a giant gong.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2018
Larsen’s hotel on the corner of Second and King streets, and such a shinning of swallow-tailed coats up blue ladders was never seen.
From Peck's Compendium of Fun by George W. (George Wilbur) Peck
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