shack

[ shak ]

/ ʃæk /

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noun

a rough cabin; shanty.

Informal. radio shack.

Verb Phrases

shack up, Slang.

to live together as spouses without being legally married.
to have illicit sexual relations.
to live in a shack: He's shacked up in the mountains.

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Origin of shack

1875–80, Americanism; compare earlier shackly rickety, probably akin to ramshackle (Mexican Spanish jacal “hut” is a phonetically impossible source)

Words nearby shack

Shabuoth, shabu-shabu, Shacharis, Shacharith, Shache, shack, shacket, shackle, Shackleton, shacko, shack-tapping

Other definitions for shack (2 of 2)

shack²

[ shak ]

/ ʃæk /

verb (used with object) Informal.

to chase and throw back; to retrieve: to shack a ground ball.

Origin of shack

1825–35, Americanism; apparently special use of dial. shack to shake

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use shack in a sentence

Madison went to a tavern the night of the 25th, but there were rumors that the British were coming to capture him, and he was evacuated to what has been called a “hovel in the woods,” possibly a shack belonging to a ferryman just above Great Falls.
In 1814, British forces burned the U.S. Capitol|Joel Achenbach|January 6, 2021|Washington Post
She died when he was 12, and the gang MS-13 took over the house where they had been living, which was little more than a shack.
To stay or to go?|Hannah Dreier|December 26, 2020|Washington Post
For Barack Obama, it’s the tolerance and opportunity that allowed a man whose father grew up in a “tin-roof shack” in Kenya to achieve any dream he wanted.
We teach students how to understand the U.S., not to love it — or hate it|Daniel Immerwahr|December 23, 2020|Washington Post
His “Night Spot” is a humble shack with grand ambitions, as is revealed by the sign announcing that it’s the Congo Club.
In the galleries: Perspectives on blending culture and identity|Mark Jenkins|December 11, 2020|Washington Post

From stellar sushi to poke by the pound, from the Ritz-Carlton to roadside shacks, here’s where you should be eating right now.
38 Exciting Ways to Eat in Honolulu Right Now|Eater Staff|December 2, 2020|Eater
So, the Southside Smokehouse is more than a barbecue pit, a burger shack, or a Cajun kitchen.
The Ultimate Southern Cheeseburger Created in South Carolina|Jane & Michael Stern|August 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Childress even kept his dead father Billy bound up and rotting in a nearby shack, Psycho-style.
‘True Detective’ Finale Review: Close to Perfection|Andrew Romano|March 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Caddy Shack, Stripes, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day and Analyze This affirm it.
How Harold Ramis Invented Baby Boom Comedy With ‘Animal House’|P. J. O’Rourke|February 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For many, many good reasons, school is not an ideal time to shack up with your soul mate.
Dear Princeton Mom, Stop Telling Me To Husband-Hunt|Emily Shire|February 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was just Mike Royko and his pal, Big Shack, and whatever their bleary musings happened to be that night three years ago.
The Stacks: John Schulian’s Classic Profile of Newspaper Columnist Mike Royko|John Schulian|January 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even the Chinese shrimp-pickers were lounging on the beach before their little shack village.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Bergin dug a big hole behind that ole vacant shack of hisn, and buried about a ton of tin cans.
Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher|Eleanor Gates
After breakfast fixed up shack—shelves, benches, tools, etc.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower
All clear, Tom called, and there was a sudden rush of wet figures for the poor sanctuary of the tumbledown shack.
The Adventure Girls at K Bar O|Clair Blank
But Monte come to the shack and watched Cash through a knothole the size of one eye till Cash opened up his heart and the bag.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower

British Dictionary definitions for shack (1 of 2)

shack¹

/ (ʃæk) /

noun

a roughly built hut

Southern African temporary accommodation put together by squatters

verb

See shack up

Word Origin for shack

C19: perhaps from dialect shackly ramshackle, from dialect shack to shake

British Dictionary definitions for shack (2 of 2)

shack²

/ (ʃæk) /

verb

Midland English dialect to evade (work or responsibility)

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

shack

Origin of shack

Words nearby shack

Other definitions for shack (2 of 2)

Origin of shack

Words related to shack

How to use shack in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shack (1 of 2)

Word Origin for shack

British Dictionary definitions for shack (2 of 2)