shave

[sheyv]

verb (used without object)

shaved, shaved , shaven, shaving .

1. to remove a growth of beard with a razor.

verb (used with object)

shaved, shaved , shaven, shaving .

1. to remove hair from (the face, legs, etc.) by cutting it off close to the skin with a razor.

2. to cut off (hair, especially the beard) close to the skin with a razor (often followed by off oraway ).

3. to cut or scrape away the surface of with a sharp-edged tool.

   to shave hides in preparing leather.

4. to reduce to shavings or thin slices.

   to shave wood.

5. to cut or trim closely.

   to shave a lawn.

6. to scrape, graze, or come very near to.

   The car just shaved the garage door.

   Synonyms: touch, glance, brush

7. Commerce.,  to purchase (a note) at a rate of discount greater than is legal or customary.

8. to reduce or deduct from.

   The store shaved the price of winter suits in the spring.

noun

1. the act, process, or an instance of shaving or being shaved.

2. a thin slice; a shaving.

3. any of various tools for shaving, scraping, removing thin slices, etc.

shave

/ ʃeɪv /

verb

1. (also intr) to remove (the beard, hair, etc) from (the face, head, or body) by scraping the skin with a razor

2. to cut or trim very closely

3. to reduce to shavings

4. to remove thin slices from (wood, etc) with a sharp cutting tool; plane or pare

5. to touch or graze in passing

6. informal,  to reduce (a price) by a slight amount

7. commerce to purchase (a commercial paper) at a greater rate of discount than is customary or legal

noun

1. the act or an instance of shaving

2. any tool for scraping

3. a thin slice or shaving

4. an instance of barely touching something

5. informal,  a narrow escape

Other Word Forms

• shavable adjective
• shaveable adjective
• reshave verb
• unshavable adjective
• unshaveable adjective
• unshaved adjective
• well-shaved adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shave¹

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of shave¹

Old English sceafan; related to Old Norse skafa, Gothic skaban to shave, Latin scabere to scrape

Idioms and Phrases

see close call (shave).

Example Sentences

Analysts estimate that it could shave as much as 0.2 percentage points off US economic growth for each week it lasts.

From BBC

Prof Ama Johal, a specialist in sleep disorders from Queen Mary University of London, says sleep is vital; without it we are beginning to shave years off our lives.

From BBC

And what most people remember about their performance is that Paula Cole didn’t shave her armpits, resulting in months of fodder for late-night comedians.

From Salon

After the council asked for the cost to be reduced, the firm shaved $210,000 off of the bill, he said.

From Los Angeles Times

The first man has been described as being white with a shaved head and of heavy build.

From BBC

Related Words

• brush 
• cut down 
• kiss 
• pare 
• prune 
• shear 
• shred 
• skim 
• slash 
• trim