shawl
Americannoun
-
shawls
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of shawl
First recorded in 1655–65, shawl is from the Persian word shāl
Explanation
A shawl is a wide scarf that's worn across the shoulders. If you're attending a fancy party on a cold night, you might wear a soft shawl over your dress. The word shawl comes from Persian, and is most likely rooted in Sanskrit. This garment first appeared in South Asia, and different regions have varied styles of traditional shawls. Any wide, square piece of fabric that you use to keep warm, cover your head, or even wrap a baby in can be called a shawl.
Vocabulary lists containing shawl
Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 3
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Zara's Rules for Record-Breaking Fun
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Just Right Jillian
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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:
Samoan Prime Minister La'auli Leuatea Schmidt wore a Jewish prayer shawl when he was sworn in last year, entering the room to the sound of a ceremonial "shofar" horn.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
The dining room table, where the sisters wrote, is strewn with manuscripts, quill pens and tea cups; a bonnet and shawl bedeck a chair in the small kitchen.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
The Ava Gardner of 1987, in her knitted shawl and high-bridge spectacles, seems to carry no sense of mystery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Yet the backlash feels a lot worse this time, says Shafi Subhan, a shawl seller from the region's Kupwara district, who also worked in Mussoorie.
From BBC ● May 2, 2025
Abruptly she reached into the many folds of her shawl; out came a deck of large, rectangular cards.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
Residents used shawls and umbrellas to protect themselves in open-air hallways.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Another, Ben Brierley, enlisted his family in making shawls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
The foreign minister saw the dozens of women wrapped in light, multicoloured shawls and holding children of different ages crossing over on horse-drawn carts.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2025
Vendors with embroidered shawls and dresses, bright Catrinas and sugar skulls.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2024
We threw blankets over our shoulders, like prayer shawls.
From "Night" by Elie Wiesel
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.
