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:
Auctioneer Rogers Jones Co said the two items, along with a Pratesi shawl embroidered with "Hilda and David love Elizabeth" as a gift, are expected to be sold for up to £1,300.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
He wore a Jewish prayer shawl during his swearing-in ceremony and has made clear his support for Israel during the early days of his premiership, saying that Samoa "stood with Israel".
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
But several wore a red hat, scarf or shawl, recalling the designer's signature colour.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
There’s the pink shawl that keeps getting taken away from her, and the dance-like physicality of her movements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2025
Next day, by noon, I was up and dressed, and sat wrapped in a shawl by the nursery hearth.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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
Other racks hold the matching skirts and pants as well as stylized denim shawls and double-breasted, patchwork coats she made for special occasions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2025
Shabir Ahmad Dar, a resident of Indian-administered Kashmir, has been selling pashmina shawls for more than 20 years.
From BBC ● May 2, 2025
There stood the Señora, short and stout, wrapped in layer upon layer of black woolen shawls.
From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
