shave

[ sheyv ]

/ ʃeɪv /

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See synonyms for: shave / shaven / shaving on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), shaved, shaved or (especially in combination) shav·en, shav·ing.

to remove a growth of beard with a razor.

verb (used with object), shaved, shaved or (especially in combination) shav·en, shav·ing.

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.

noun

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR shave

7 brush, glance, touch.

See synonyms for shave on Thesaurus.com

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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.

OTHER WORDS FROM shave

shav·a·ble, shave·a·ble, adjectivere·shave, verb re·shaved, re·shav·ing.un·shav·a·ble, adjectiveun·shave·a·ble, adjective

un·shaved, adjectivewell-shaved, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use shave in a sentence

He was one of living symbols of “White Ribbon Revolution” of 2012, always in black, slim, shaved, almost a monk.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015|Movements.Org|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And when he shaved clean the perfectly coiffed hair, she was viscerally horrified.
From Fashion Player to Photographer Monk|Nina Strochlic|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I have a half shaved head, I wear boyish clothes and mostly act like a boy.
What It Feels Like For a Girl in Iraq|Noor|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At least Jake Gyllenhaal shaved off his grotesque face scarf this year.
Leo, the Beard Has to Go: When a Man’s Facial Hair Reaches Crisis Point|Tim Teeman|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Then Foley was shown on his knees, his body erect—even proud—clad in an orange tunic with no collar, and his head shaved.
Medieval Cruelty in Modern Times: ISIS Thugs Behead American Journalist|Christopher Dickey|August 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While still very young his head was shaved, except a little round spot on the very crown.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
Your weakness, sir, acts marvellously wisely: you'll be the clean-shaved Nestor of the regiment.
The Battle of Hexham;|George Colman
He has not been shaved very recently, but he doesnt look at all ferocious notwithstanding.
Oliver Twist, Vol. II (of 3)|Charles Dickens
Big front with plenty of credentials and a neat black mustache which could be shaved off easily enough later.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
He had shaved, and brushed his black coat, and looked a magnificent monument of a man; at such moments she really admired him.
Summer|Edith Wharton

British Dictionary definitions for shave

shave

/ (ʃeɪv) /

verb shaves, shaving, shaved, shaved or shaven (mainly tr)

(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

noun

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

Derived forms of shave

shavable or shaveable, adjective

Word Origin for shave

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with shave

shave

see close call (shave).

shave

OTHER WORDS FOR shave

Origin of shave

OTHER WORDS FROM shave

Words related to shave

How to use shave in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shave

Derived forms of shave

Word Origin for shave

Other Idioms and Phrases with shave