shawl
Americannoun
-
shawls
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of shawl
First recorded in 1655–65, shawl is from the Persian word shāl
Explanation
A shawl is a wide scarf that's worn across the shoulders. If you're attending a fancy party on a cold night, you might wear a soft shawl over your dress. The word shawl comes from Persian, and is most likely rooted in Sanskrit. This garment first appeared in South Asia, and different regions have varied styles of traditional shawls. Any wide, square piece of fabric that you use to keep warm, cover your head, or even wrap a baby in can be called a shawl.
Vocabulary lists containing shawl
Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 3
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Zara's Rules for Record-Breaking Fun
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Just Right Jillian
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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 dining room table, where the sisters wrote, is strewn with manuscripts, quill pens and tea cups; a bonnet and shawl bedeck a chair in the small kitchen.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
The Ava Gardner of 1987, in her knitted shawl and high-bridge spectacles, seems to carry no sense of mystery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Tears streamed from the eyes of Uwde Sliman, a 40-year-old Ethiopian draped in a white shawl, as she came out of the church.
From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 2026
Yet the backlash feels a lot worse this time, says Shafi Subhan, a shawl seller from the region's Kupwara district, who also worked in Mussoorie.
From BBC ● May 2, 2025
I patted her back as she patted Fern’s, then snugged my shawl tighter around me and left.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
Another, Ben Brierley, enlisted his family in making shawls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
"Heritage isn't just about grand monuments", one follower commented, "but about the things people carried when they left their homes, books, shawls and family recipes".
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2025
Other racks hold the matching skirts and pants as well as stylized denim shawls and double-breasted, patchwork coats she made for special occasions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2025
Young poet Gurpreet Saini, who performs at cultural festivals across India, says he sources his shawls - printed with ombre Gurmukhi letters - from Hariana, his hometown in Punjab, for a distinctive look.
From BBC ● May 31, 2025
Mae provided another one of her shawls, and I created a cozy nest for Quinby.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
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.
