sheathe

American  

[sheeth] / ʃið /

verb (used with object)

• sheathes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sheathed,
  past participle,  past
• sheathing
  present participle

1. to put (a sword, dagger, etc.) into a sheath.

2. to plunge (a sword, dagger, etc.) in something as if in a sheath.

3. to enclose in or as if in a casing or covering.

4. to cover or provide with a protective layer or sheathing.

   to sheathe a roof with copper.

5. to cover (a cable, electrical connector, etc.) with a metal sheath for grounding.

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sheathe British  

/ ʃiːð /

verb

1. to insert (a knife, sword, etc) into a sheath

2. (esp of cats) to retract (the claws)

3. to surface with or encase in a sheath or sheathing

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sheather
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• sheathing
  present
• sheathed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sheathe
  simple
• sheathes
  simple
• have sheathed
  perfect
• has sheathed
  perfect
• am sheathing
  progressive
• are sheathing
  progressive
• is sheathing
  progressive
• have been sheathing
  perfect progressive
• has been sheathing
  perfect progressive

Past

• sheathed
  simple
• had sheathed
  perfect
• was sheathing
  progressive
• were sheathing
  progressive
• had been sheathing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sheathe
  simple
• will have sheathed
  perfect
• will be sheathing
  progressive
• will have been sheathing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of sheathe

1350–1400; Middle English shethen, derivative of sheath

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Explanation

The verb sheathe means to place in a sheath. What's a sheath? Well, that's any kind of protective covering. With that extra "e" on the end sheathe gives off a very old English vibe. Perhaps that's because all those knights were often sheathing their swords so as not to scare the fair ladies. Those knights were also sheathed in armor when going into battle or setting off to joust. These days, with medieval armaments in low demand, not much gets sheathed — except maybe the kitchen knives in the knife block or your cat's claws when they retract.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sheathe sheathes sheathed sheathing

You know those wool pockets that pro players sheathe over their golf clubs?

From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026

Architect Daniel Huntington’s Hotel Piedmont even went so far as to use a large quantity of art tile from the Malibu Tile Company to sheathe the street-level facades.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 8, 2023

Most migraine researchers think that the pain of an attack is generated by increased firing of the trigeminal nerves, which carry sensory information from the face and the meninges that sheathe the brain.

From Nature ● Oct. 13, 2020

Others rely on a system that can sheathe a painting with a hard surface on command—useful both for security and to protect the art when residents are away.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2015

Jason wasn’t quite sure whether to sheathe his sword.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Priced at $12 for a pack of 30, the square sheathes are prized by comedian Rebel Wilson.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2019

It sheathes its titular patriarch with muscles and weighs him down with worldly worries.

From Slate ● Apr. 12, 2017

You are now more likely to see a bouquet laden with sheathes of grass, arching vines of clematis, Fritillaria bulbs and flowering purple basil than just a polite cluster of roses or calla lilies.

From New York Times ● Mar. 20, 2017

Previously, Batista has made gun sheathes from Soviet and checkered racing flags.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 22, 2015

The trees around are denuded, as if they’ve been burnt; webbing sheathes their trunks.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

One cartoon posted on X by Chinese state media depicted her in Japanese Imperial Army uniform, a sheathed sword at her side.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025

At its heart was a 12ft tall emblem of the Hindu god Shiva, sheathed in gold encrusted with rubies and pearls.

From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2025

One foot was bare, the other was sheathed in a dirty sock.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2024

It would replace the crumbling J. Edgar Hoover Building in downtown Washington, which is sheathed in netting to shield passers-by from falling concrete.

From New York Times ● Nov. 8, 2023

I sheathed my own sword too, but without any fancy moves.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Some of the crucial work done at Bell Labs might now seem mundane: for example, how to fabricate sheathing so undersea cables wouldn’t be chewed through by Toredo worms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026

A graduate of music videos, Saxon — like the Gondrys and Jonzes before him — excels at sheathing his yarn in idiosyncratic humor, atmosphere and technique.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2025

Some of this metal was embedded into the mortar joints of the chimney, and the rest of the flashing was attached to the wooden roof sheathing.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 8, 2024

Was it because, while each character dresses conservatively, Flo’s wardrobe obliterates any trace of curves by sheathing her in a bulky apron?

From New York Times ● Dec. 28, 2023

There was no radio in the trailer, and the only reading material was a construction industry journal with boring articles about hurricane-resistant roof sheathing and antitermite treatments for plywood.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

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