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View synonyms for shed

shed

1

[ shed ]

noun

  1. a simple or rude structure built for shelter, storage, etc.
  2. a large, strongly built structure, often open at the sides or end.


shed

2

[ shed ]

verb (used with object)

, shed, shed·ding.
  1. to emit and let fall, as tears:

    When someone arrived to rescue us, I shed tears of joy and gratitude.

  2. to impart or release; give or send forth (light, sound, fragrance, influence, etc.):

    A full moon was shedding its light on the little town as they entered it.

    Synonyms: effuse, radiate, emit

  3. to resist being penetrated or affected by:

    The jacket is treated with a durable water-repellent finish to shed light precipitation.

    Synonyms: repel

  4. to cast off or let fall (leaves, hair, feathers, skin, shell, etc.) by natural process:

    A healthy, growing snake will shed its skin about once a month.

  5. to get rid of or release oneself from:

    First, we must shed our illusions about what rural life is supposed to be like.

    I find that I go through phases where I shed some of my friendships.

  6. to pour forth (water or other liquid), as a fountain or river:

    All of these rivers eventually shed their waters into the Luapula River.

  7. Textiles. to separate (the warp) in forming a shed.

verb (used without object)

, shed, shed·ding.
  1. to cast off hair, feathers, skin, or other covering or parts by natural process:

    All dogs shed, and need some grooming to brush out loose hair.

    Synonyms: slough, molt

  2. to fall off, as leaves:

    Leaves that are severely infected by this disease will shed prematurely.

  3. to drop out, as hair, seed, grain, etc.:

    My hair began shedding during the first month after I started taking the medication.

    The seeds of this plant shed soon after the pod opens, so they’re hard to find.

noun

  1. Textiles. (on a loom) a triangular, transverse opening created between raised and lowered warp threads through which the shuttle passes in depositing the loose thread that will become the weft.

she'd

3

[ sheed ]

  1. contraction of she had.
  2. contraction of she would.

she'd

1

/ ʃiːd /

contraction of

  1. she had or she would
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


shed

2

/ ʃɛd /

noun

  1. physics a former unit of nuclear cross section equal to 10 –52square metre
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

shed

3

/ ʃɛd /

noun

  1. a small building or lean-to of light construction, used for storage, shelter, etc
  2. a large roofed structure, esp one with open sides, used for storage, repairing locomotives, sheepshearing, etc
  3. a large retail outlet in the style of a warehouse
  4. another name for freezing works
  5. in the shed
    at work
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. tr to store (hay or wool) in a shed
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

shed

4

/ ʃɛd /

verb

  1. to pour forth or cause to pour forth

    shed blood

    to shed tears

  2. shed light on or shed light upon or throw light on or throw light upon
    to clarify or supply additional information about
  3. to cast off or lose

    the snake shed its skin

    trees shed their leaves

  4. (of a lorry) to drop (its load) on the road by accident
  5. to abolish or get rid of (jobs, workers, etc)
  6. to repel

    this coat sheds water

  7. also intr (in weaving) to form an opening between (the warp threads) in order to permit the passage of the shuttle
  8. dialect.
    tr to make a parting in (the hair)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. (in weaving) the space made by shedding
  2. short for watershed
  3. a parting in the hair
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

shed

5

/ ʃɛd /

verb

  1. tr to separate or divide off (some farm animals) from the remainder of a group

    a good dog can shed his sheep in a matter of minutes

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. (of a dog) the action of separating farm animals
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Usage Note

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Derived Forms

  • ˈshedˌlike, adjective
  • ˈshedable, adjective
  • ˈshedding, noun
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Other Words From

  • shedlike adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of shed1

First recorded in 1475–85; variant of shade

Origin of shed2

First recorded before 950; Middle English verb shed(d)en, shed, Old English scēadan, scādan; cognate with German scheiden “to separate, divide”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of shed1

C20: from shed 1; so called by comparison to barn ² because of its smaller size

Origin of shed2

Old English sced; probably variant of scead shelter, shade

Origin of shed3

Old English sceadan; related to Gothic skaidan, Old High German skeidan to separate; see sheath

Origin of shed4

from shed ²
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. shed blood,
    1. to cause blood to flow.
    2. to kill by violence; slaughter.
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Example Sentences

“I sense that mobile games are starting to shed their skin, getting rid of all the dead things they carry around,” he says.

When I first arrived at Duke, hooking up with a stranger seemed like a way to shed my inhibitions.

Overnight people shed their fears, their protective camouflage and their restraints.

Both priceless papyri that could shed light on early Christianity and forgeries are openly trafficked online.

While the bats are infected, they shed large quantities of virus that can infect other animals.

A little corral for the sheep, and a rough shed for the pony, and the home was complete: far the prettiest home they had ever had.

Above, great standard electric lamps shed their white glare upon the eddying throng casting a myriad of grotesque shadows.

Then waves of grief broke over her, and she sobbed convulsively; but still she shed no tears.

Even the Grass-land is often ridged so as to shed the water quickly, while deep ditches or drains do duty for fences.

Robert was out there under the shed, reclining in the shade against the sloping keel of the overturned boat.

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Related Words

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.

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she-crab soupshed blood