a simple or rude structure built for shelter, storage, etc.
a large, strongly built structure, often open at the sides or end.
to emit and let fall, as tears.
When someone arrived to rescue us, I shed tears of joy and gratitude.
to impart or release; give or send forth (light, sound, fragrance, influence, etc.).
A full moon was shedding its light on the little town as they entered it.
to resist being penetrated or affected by.
The jacket is treated with a durable water-repellent finish to shed light precipitation.
to cast off or let fall (leaves, hair, feathers, skin, shell, etc.) by natural process.
A healthy, growing snake will shed its skin about once a month.
to get rid of or release oneself from.
First, we must shed our illusions about what rural life is supposed to be like.
I find that I go through phases where I shed some of my friendships.
to pour forth (water or other liquid), as a fountain or river.
All of these rivers eventually shed their waters into the Luapula River.
Textiles. to separate (the warp) in forming a shed.
to cast off hair, feathers, skin, or other covering or parts by natural process.
All dogs shed, and need some grooming to brush out loose hair.
to fall off, as leaves.
Leaves that are severely infected by this disease will shed prematurely.
to drop out, as hair, seed, grain, etc..
My hair began shedding during the first month after I started taking the medication.
The seeds of this plant shed soon after the pod opens, so they’re hard to find.
contraction of she had.
contraction of she would.
to pour forth or cause to pour forth
to shed tears
shed blood
to clarify or supply additional information about
to cast off or lose
the snake shed its skin
trees shed their leaves
(of a lorry) to drop (its load) on the road by accident
to abolish or get rid of (jobs, workers, etc)
to repel
this coat sheds water
(also intr) (in weaving) to form an opening between (the warp threads) in order to permit the passage of the shuttle
dialect (tr) to make a parting in (the hair)
(in weaving) the space made by shedding
short for watershed
a parting in the hair
a small building or lean-to of light construction, used for storage, shelter, etc
a large roofed structure, esp one with open sides, used for storage, repairing locomotives, sheepshearing, etc
a large retail outlet in the style of a warehouse
another name for freezing works
at work
See contraction.
First recorded in 1475–85; variant of shade
First recorded before 950; Middle English verb shed(d)en, shed, Old English scēadan, scādan; cognate with German scheiden “to separate, divide”
The small, simple building in your yard where you keep tools or gardening equipment is a shed. As a noun, shed means "hut," and probably comes from the word shade. But shed is also a verb meaning "to cast off," like when a snake sheds its skin. If your couch is covered in fur, it might be because your dog is shedding. You can shed non-physical things, like a bad habit. Does your cat shed? If so, maybe I should sleep in the shed since I'm allergic.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That was the worst year for American bonds in a generation, and some long-term Treasury funds shed close to a third of their value.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Tokyo's Nikkei tanked four percent as Kioxia shed more than 18 percent, while Advantest and Tokyo Electron dived 10 percent and 11 percent respectively.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
The protests became a rallying point for young people to shed their caution and voice their frustration.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Chey’s ex-wife, Roh Soh-yeong, is the daughter of South Korea’s first president after the country shed military rule in the late 1980s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
We saw Nollie even before our train came to a stop in Amsterdam—her bright blue sweater like a patch of blue sky in the big dark shed.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
It’s unlikely she’d talk about the cabinet appointment Ronald Reagan dangled in front of her as she worked tirelessly to get him elected, the cabinet appointment she never got.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
"I think my grandmother would have given me a proper telling-off if she'd been told she had to reserve online at the heuriger!" he joked.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
From this they were then able to identify the call she'd made in 2012 and could identify the officers who had attended.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
“Clean up after yourself, maybe clean up after one another, and don’t take anything home with you that you didn’t bring,” Tucker said when asked what she’d say to the park’s visitors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
She had friends that lived near the swamps, and she’d have them show us around.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Human remains inside of boat sheds, where people took shelter from the eruption of Mt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
The study also sheds light on how these natural drug-producing systems evolved.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026
"If we want something done, we have to agree that part of the fee will be put to that purpose, like the repainting of the sheds."
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Investors will watch to see whether the chairman sheds further light on the Fed’s rate-setting path, though focus remains on June’s nonfarm payroll data print Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
We peered under porches and opened sheds and circled barns.
From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor
To the looksmaxxers, these peptides aren’t about health; they’re for shedding fat, building muscle, clearing up skin, and even getting tanned.
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2026
Rapid weight loss is a well established cause of increased hair shedding.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
The belt-tightening measures have not reassured investors, with the stock shedding 26 percent of its value since the start of this year.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Argentina's players joined Messi in shedding tears after the final whistle, though even that ended in an undignified scrum between players and officials from either side.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
The tulips have had their moment and are done, shedding their petals one by one, like teeth.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
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.
