shirt
Americannoun
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shirts
plural
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a long- or short-sleeved garment for the upper part of the body, usually lightweight and having a collar and a front opening.
-
an undergarment of cotton, or other material, for the upper part of the body.
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a shirtwaist.
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a nightshirt.
idioms
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in one's shirt sleeves, without a coat: Also in one's shirt-sleeves.
It was so hot that they worked in their shirt sleeves.
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lose one's shirt, to lose all that one possesses; suffer a severe financial reverse.
He lost his shirt in the stock market.
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keep one's shirt on, to refrain from becoming angry or impatient; remain calm.
Tell him to keep his shirt on until we're ready.
noun
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a garment worn on the upper part of the body, esp by men, usually of light material and typically having a collar and sleeves and buttoning up the front
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short for nightshirt undershirt
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informal refrain from losing your temper (often used as an exhortation to another)
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informal to bet all one has on (a horse, etc)
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informal to lose all one has on (a horse, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of shirt
before 1150; Middle English schirte, Old English scyrte; cognate with German Schürze, Dutch schort apron, Old Norse skyrta skirt
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:
She and her friends get a personalized shirt made for every show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
I wasn’t wearing a T-shirt—it was more like a poly-blend athletic shirt which makes me look like someone who once walked past a yoga studio without going inside.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
This is my way of telling you I forgot to wear a collared shirt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
"I know I wasn't perfect," Romero posted on X., external "But one thing gives me peace: I always gave everything. I defended this shirt with pride and with all my heart."
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
An adorable little girl with two pigtails and red-framed glasses tugs on Ford’s shirt.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Shein has been successful in enticing customers with its extremely affordable offerings, such as shirts for under $2 and dresses for less than $3.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
She’s sold shirts to fans as far away as Norway.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Suzanne and Jim Moller, who wore “Fight On” Trojan shirts for the event, flew in from Chicago to see their son, Keith, move into his dorm and enroll at the Marshall School of Business.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Those still open tend to have generators, menus priced in dollars and a clientele of well-connected Cubans, decked in salmon shirts and tassel loafers.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
But when Buzz saw the man at the riverbank, he thought back to those shirts.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
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.
