shit

[ shit ]

noun

, Slang: Vulgar.

1. excrement; feces:

   Ugh, I stepped in dog shit.

2. an act of defecating; evacuation:

   He's taking a shit.

3. the shits. diarrhea.
4. possessions, equipment, mementos, etc.; stuff:

   I put my ex's shit in a box and left it on my front porch.

5. pretense, lies, exaggeration, or nonsense: This guy is so full of shit!

   I don’t want to hear your shit right now.

   This guy is so full of shit!

6. something inferior or worthless: Her boyfriend treats her like shit, but she won’t leave him.

   I can’t stand that whiny emo shit that’s all over the radio.

   Her boyfriend treats her like shit, but she won’t leave him.

7. abusive treatment, unpleasant consequences, or general misfortune: My sister’s been going through some shit, so she needs our support more than ever.

   I’m not going to take your shit anymore!

   My sister’s been going through some shit, so she needs our support more than ever.

8. a selfish, mean, or otherwise contemptible person:

   You dumb little shit!

9. narcotic drugs, especially heroin or marijuana:

   My guy only sells the purest shit.

10. anything at all; the least thing (usually used in the negative):

    You don’t know shit about me.

verb (used without object)

, Slang: Vulgar.

, shit or shat [shat], shit·ting.

1. to defecate.

verb (used with object)

, Slang: Vulgar.

, shit or shat, shit·ting.

1. to exaggerate or lie to:

   Are you shitting me? I shit you not!

interjection

, Slang: Vulgar.

1. (used to express disgust, disappointment, frustration, contempt, or the like):

   Oh, shit, we’re screwed.

verb phrase

1. Slang: Vulgar. to disparage or dismiss:

   Try contributing something, instead of just shitting on everyone else’s ideas.

shit

/ ʃɪt /

verb

1. to defecate
2. slang.
   usually foll by on to give the worst possible treatment (to)

noun

1. faeces; excrement
2. an act of defecation
3. rubbish; nonsense
4. an obnoxious or worthless person
5. cannabis resin or heroin
6. in the shit
   in the shit in trouble
7. the shit hits the fan
   the shit hits the fan the real trouble begins

interjection

1. an exclamation expressing anger, disgust, etc

Usage Note

Even though shit has lost much of its shock value through frequent use, language experts continue to caution against indiscriminately using the word, and still label it as vulgar or coarse. The word has numerous meanings and occurs in many colorful phrases and compounds that have nothing to do with defecation: for example, no shit, shit happens, and shitfaced. In informal conversations among friends, the use of shit and its various expressions is often acceptable. For some people, the word comes naturally, without hesitation, as an expression of annoyance or chagrin, even if they still find it too vulgar to use in its literal sense. But in formal settings, use of the word generally remains inappropriate.

Derived Forms

• ˈshitty, adjective
• ˈshittily, adverb
• ˈshittiness, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of shit¹

First recorded before 900; (verb) variant (with short i from past participle or noun) of earlier shite, Middle English shiten, Old English scītan; compare Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schiten ( Dutch schijten ), Old High German skīzan ( German scheissen ); (noun) re-formation from the verb, or continuation of Old English scite (in placenames)

Word History and Origins

Origin of shit¹

Old English scite (unattested) dung, scītan to defecate, of Germanic origin; related to Old English scēadan to separate, Old Norse skīta to defecate, Middle Dutch schitte excrement

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. and shit, (used to express an approximation or unspecified continuation) etcetera; and so on:

   He always says he wants to help and shit, but he’s never around.

2. be the shit, to be amazing, be the best: Her apartment is the shit, but it must cost a fortune.

   This guy is the shit—like, seriously, the greatest of all time!

   Her apartment is the shit, but it must cost a fortune.

3. get / have one's shit together, to effectively organize, manage, or control aspects of one’s personal or professional life:

   If she doesn’t get her shit together, she’s gonna lose her job.

4. give a shit, (often used in the negative) to care; be concerned:

   The fans could see that their star players didn't give a shit about bringing home a championship.

   Who gives a shit if you're going or not going?

5. in deep shit, in trouble:

   If my parents catch me sneaking out, I'll be in deep shit.

6. like shit, very bad; very poorly: I had the flu, and I felt like absolute shit for about five days.

   Aw, man, you look like shit!

   I had the flu, and I felt like absolute shit for about five days.

7. lose one’s shit, to become angry, panicked, or crazed: I am losing my shit here, and I don’t know what to do!

   The coach lost his shit when the team fumbled the ball in the final seconds of the game.

   I am losing my shit here, and I don’t know what to do!

8. no shit,
   1. (used to express amazement or disbelief):

      He got into MIT? No shit!

   2. (used to express one's annoyance with an obvious statement):

      Yeah, no shit, numskull!

9. piece of shit, a person or thing that is inferior or contemptible (often used attributively): Your piece of shit car is leaking oil all over my driveway. : POS, P.O.S.

   I hope someone takes that pompous piece of shit down a few pegs.

   Your piece of shit car is leaking oil all over my driveway.

10. same shit, different day, (used to express exasperated discontent and resignation): : SSDD

    Welcome to the pointless hamster wheel that is my life—same shit, different day.

11. shit happens, bad things are inevitable in life (used to dismiss or account for a disappointing turn of events):

    I was gonna finish college, but sometimes shit happens.

12. shit hits the fan, trouble suddenly occurs; negative events come to a head: She’s someone you want on your side when shit hits the fan.

    If the shit hits the fan, we’ll meet back up at the rendez-vous point.

    She’s someone you want on your side when shit hits the fan.

13. shit oneself, Also shit one’s pants.
    1. to defecate in one's clothes, as from terror or illness; soil oneself:

       There’s a girl drunkenly puking and shitting herself in the alley—should we call 911?

    2. to be very frightened, especially of a current or future circumstance or consequence:

       He’s basically shitting himself wondering if I’m gonna tell his wife what we did.

14. shit out of luck, in a hopeless situation, without any recourse or solution: : SOL, S.O.L.

    There's only one flight scheduled today, so we’re shit outta luck if we miss it.

15. shoot the shit, to converse aimlessly; chat:

    Let’s meet up after work to grab a couple of beers and shoot the shit.

16. the shit out of, fully and completely; to an extreme degree: Bullies used to beat the shit out of him at recess and after school.

    You scared the shit out of me!

    Bullies used to beat the shit out of him at recess and after school.

17. tough shit, (used to dismiss someone’s misfortune or disappointment, without sympathy):

    Tough shit if your boss is an abusive jerk—shut up and take it, or find a new job.

18. up shit / shit's creek (without a paddle), in a desperate or hopeless situation; in serious trouble:

    I'm up shit's creek with this presentation—it's due tomorrow and I haven't written a single line.

Example Sentences

You come look at Chollas Creek after a heavy rain, you may see all kinds of toxic shit, tires, who knows what, just floating through.

From Voice of San Diego

Gravity is real, and no matter how many times you shout stonks in the mirror, crying, while clutching your smartphone, it’s hard to keep a bag of shit in the air forever.

From TechCrunch

“That’s some real gangster shit right there,” enthused Jake.

From ProPublica

“These dudes came in on a bunch of brute, brute shit … like they were looking for trouble,” said Dennis Prewitt, the man taken down by Habib and the officers with him.

From ProPublica

You mentioned you still talk to some of your former colleagues who are in Congress and that some of them really believe this shit.

From Vox

Funny or Die News also features Vox-style “explainers,” including “The Middle East—Why Shit So Fucked Up?”

From The Daily Beast

I was like, ‘Shit, try being in a two-piece where the other person doesn’t talk!

From The Daily Beast

Her most popular video, the aforementioned “Shit White Girls Say… to Black Girls,” was viewed 10.4 million times.

From The Daily Beast

He went on to found the gang FSU, which stands for Friends Stand United (it originally stood for Fuck Shit Up).

From The Daily Beast

In the morning, Ramesh came back, was told by a constable about Xerox, and said, "Shit, it wasn't a dream, then."

From The Daily Beast

Shit, why not send me a letter asking me if I mind receiving an email?

From Project Gutenberg

“Shit,” he said, and began to sort through the alerts while his back and neck muscles tightened.

From Project Gutenberg

Then, five minutes later, “Shit, I forgot that this one has a different mo-bo than the others.”

From Project Gutenberg

He took the title of Shit-su and founded what is known as the Yuen dynasty.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• crap
• poop
• shite