shave

[sheyv]

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.

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.

Related formsshav·a·ble, shave·a·ble, adjectivere·shave, verb re·shaved, re·shav·ing.un·shav·a·ble, adjectiveun·shave·a·ble, adjectiveun·shaved, adjectivewell-shaved, adjective

Synonyms for shave

7. brush, glance, touch.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for shaved

trim, pare, kiss, shred, skim, brush, slash, shear, prune, cut, peel, clip, strip, decorticate, crop, graze, plane, barber, skin, touch

Examples from the Web for shaved

Contemporary Examples of shaved

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
And when he shaved clean the perfectly coiffed hair, she was viscerally horrified.
From Fashion Player to Photographer Monk
Nina Strochlic
December 3, 2014
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
I was really strong, I had put on all this muscle for this movie I did and I had a shaved head.
Scott Haze on Playing a Necrophiliac in ‘Child of God’ and Naked Paintballing with James Franco
Melissa Leon
August 3, 2014
France was the host, and their team was a mélange of skin tones and shaved heads the likes of which had never been seen before.
Why Americans Should Love the World Cup
Sean Wilsey
June 12, 2014

Historical Examples of shaved

He crossed the ferry and went to the hotel, where he shaved and freshened himself.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
If he was shaved to-morrow, I'd engage you'd see it fast enough.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
"Say rather an ass, shaved and painted to resemble a zebra," muttered John.
Homeward Bound
James Fenimore Cooper
He also shaved and cut the hair of the village, a trade learned by him when he was in the army.
A Zola Dictionary
J. G. Patterson
The upper lip was shaved, and the eyebrows were heavy and grayish black.
Cap'n Warren's Wards
Joseph C. Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for shaved

shave

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 Formsshavable 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

Word Origin and History for shaved

shave

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.

shave

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."

Idioms and Phrases with shaved

shave

see close call (shave).