shampoo
Americanverb (used with object)
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shampoos,
present (3rd person singular)
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shampooed,
past participle, past
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shampooing
present participle
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to wash (the head or hair), especially with a cleaning preparation that does not leave a soap film.
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to clean (rugs, upholstery, or the like) with a special preparation.
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Archaic. to massage.
noun
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shampoos
plural
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the act of shampooing.
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a preparation used for shampooing, especially one that does not leave a soap film.
noun
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a liquid or cream preparation of soap or detergent to wash the hair
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a similar preparation for washing carpets, etc
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the process of shampooing
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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shampoosimple
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shampoossimple
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have shampooedperfect
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has shampooedperfect
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am shampooingprogressive
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are shampooingprogressive
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is shampooingprogressive
-
have been shampooingperfect progressive
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has been shampooingperfect progressive
Past
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shampooedsimple
-
had shampooedperfect
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was shampooingprogressive
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were shampooingprogressive
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had been shampooingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shampoo
1755–65; earlier champo to massage < an inflected form of Hindi cāmpnā literally, to press
Explanation
Got dirty hair? Get yourself some shampoo and jump in the shower! Shampoo is soap made especially for washing hair. Use shampoo for the liquid soap itself, or for the act of using it: "I don't have time for a shampoo, so I'll wear my favorite cowboy hat." It's also a verb: "I love the way my hair smells after I shampoo it!" You can also shampoo a carpet—or a dog. Shampoo originally meant "to massage," stemming from a Hindi root, champo, "press or knead muscles."
Vocabulary lists containing shampoo
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 maker of Crest toothpaste and Pantene shampoo also gave a soft outlook for the current fiscal year, forecasting profit and sales below Wall Street’s expectations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Parada Calderon said his family sends him about $100 per month to spend on commissary items, which he spends on packets of crackers, coffee, soups, soap, shampoo, deodorant and chips.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Soon I was using prescription shampoo, two topical serums, monthly steroid scalp injections, and a pricey red-light therapy cap that made me look like an alien.
From Slate ● May 23, 2026
A bottle of shampoo, cold medicine, a bouquet, a midnight snack, or even diapers can now arrive at an apartment door in roughly the time it takes to watch a sitcom.
From Barron's ● May 23, 2026
I open up the bottle of raspberry soufflé shampoo and scrub hard.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
That leaves Unilever to focus on brands including Dove personal-care products, Nexxus shampoos and Olly vitamins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Companies that made the cosmetics, shampoos, and other beauty products sold to teens and tweens, though?
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2025
Selenium can be found in products such as electronics, glass, plastics, pesticides, shampoos and rubber.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2025
“They depend on sales on the shop floor of shampoos and shower gels to actually pay for the medicines for the patients and that’s an unacceptable situation.“
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2024
Celia tells Felicia that her job is still waiting for her at the beauty shop, but that she’ll have to start from the bottom again, sweeping hair clippings and doing shampoos.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
In the People story, Steve Doocy, 68, joked that his son had actually been hit by “a stork” and that George had arrived shortly after his son shampooed out any bird goo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2025
Is it applied to the scalp prior to shampooing for a number of minutes, then shampooed out?
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2022
Last Thursday, she was finally able to schedule an appointment at the nursing home’s reopened beauty salon where she gets her hair shampooed and styled each week.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 18, 2021
A couple of hours later, showered, shampooed and laden with aftershave, Lewis for a moment looked as though he was going to bury the hatchet and give absolute best with a gracious chivalry.
From The Guardian ● May 25, 2012
“That Mrs. Clarke,” Penelope thought with gratitude, as she tugged the dress over Cassiopeia’s freshly shampooed head.
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
If your hair or scalp are dry, you might limit shampooing to once or twice a week, Garshick added.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 23, 2023
There are many examples of companies creating problems they then solve, from the marketing of cosmetics to the origin of women's razors to how shampooing more frequently came about.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2022
With shampooing, the secret is less is more.
From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2021
When it comes to daily hair maintenance, Gibson said that most of his clients say they’ve been shampooing every other day, which he supports; however, he said that hair does need a daily styling refresher.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2021
The wet-dog scent of shampooing going on in the back room.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
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.
