shave
[sheyv]
- to remove a growth of beard with a razor.
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- to remove hair from (the face, legs, etc.) by cutting it off close to the skin with a razor.
- to cut off (hair, especially the beard) close to the skin with a razor (often followed by off or away).
- to cut or scrape away the surface of with a sharp-edged tool: to shave hides in preparing leather.
- to reduce to shavings or thin slices: to shave wood.
- to cut or trim closely: to shave a lawn.
- to scrape, graze, or come very near to: The car just shaved the garage door.
- Commerce. to purchase (a note) at a rate of discount greater than is legal or customary.
- to reduce or deduct from: The store shaved the price of winter suits in the spring.
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- the act, process, or an instance of shaving or being shaved.
- a thin slice; a shaving.
- any of various tools for shaving, scraping, removing thin slices, etc.
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Origin of shave
before 900; (v.) Middle English schaven, schafen, Old English sc(e)afan; cognate with Dutch schaven to plane (a plank), abrade (the skin), Low German schaven, German schaben, Old Norse skafa to scrape, Gothic skaban to shear, shave; (noun) Middle English schave tool for shaving, Old English sc(e)afa, derivative of the v.
Synonyms
See more synonyms for shave on Thesaurus.com7. brush, glance, touch.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for shave
Contemporary Examples
The only time they asked me to do something was grow my hair so they could shave it in that one scene.
There is a big difference between imagining not shaving and actually trying to not shave.
According to Fahs, the “labor intensive” assignment “gives men some insight into what women who shave go through.”
Budgets are out of control because government executives lack flexibility to shave here and there to make ends meet.
Tipitina's in the warm blue fog, squatting beneath a crescent moon so sharp and clean you could shave a wild hog with it.
The Stacks: The Neville Brothers Stake Their Claim as Bards of the BayouJohn Ed Bradley
April 27, 2014
Historical Examples
After I got home I did not shave for two days, and scarcely ever spoke.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)Maria Edgeworth
Being here, I may as well have a shave, and get trimmed close.'
Life And Adventures Of Martin ChuzzlewitCharles Dickens
All right—and I'll profit by the opportunity to have a shave.
The Three Cities Trilogy, CompleteEmile Zola
I could see him a little better, if he'd shave himself, and get his hair cut.'
Life And Adventures Of Martin ChuzzlewitCharles Dickens
No shower, no shave, no quiet dinner, no walk; all that would have to come later.
The Second VoiceMann Rubin
shave
- (also intr) to remove (the beard, hair, etc) from (the face, head, or body) by scraping the skin with a razor
- to cut or trim very closely
- to reduce to shavings
- to remove thin slices from (wood, etc) with a sharp cutting tool; plane or pare
- to touch or graze in passing
- informal to reduce (a price) by a slight amount
- US commerce to purchase (a commercial paper) at a greater rate of discount than is customary or legal
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- the act or an instance of shaving
- any tool for scraping
- a thin slice or shaving
- an instance of barely touching something
- close shave informal a narrow escape
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Word Origin
Old English sceafan; related to Old Norse skafa, Gothic skaban to shave, Latin scabere to scrape
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
Word Origin and History for shave
v.
Old English sceafan (strong verb, past tense scof, past participle scafen), "to scrape, shave, polish," from Proto-Germanic *skaban (cf. Old Norse skafa, Middle Dutch scaven, German schaben, Gothic skaban "scratch, shave, scrape"), from PIE *skabh-, collateral form of root *(s)kep- "to cut, to scrape, to hack" (see scabies). Related: Shaved; shaving. Original strong verb status is preserved in past tense form shaven. Specifically in reference to cutting the hair close from mid-13c. Figurative sense of "to strip (someone) of money or possessions" is attested from late 14c.
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n.
c.1600, "something shaved off;" from shave (v.); Old English sceafa meant "tool for shaving." Meaning "operation of shaving" is from 1838. Meaning "a grazing touch" is recorded from 1834. Phrase a close shave is from 1856, on notion of "a slight, grazing touch."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with shave
shave
see close call (shave).
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.