sheath
Americannoun
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sheaths
plural
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a case or covering for the blade of a sword, dagger, or the like.
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any similar close-fitting covering or case.
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a condom.
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Biology. a closely enveloping part or structure, as in an animal or plant.
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Botany. the leaf base when it forms a vertical coating surrounding the stem.
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a close-fitting dress, skirt, or coat, especially an unbelted dress with a straight drape.
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Electricity. the metal covering of a cable.
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Electronics.
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the metal wall of a wave guide.
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a space charge formed by ions near an electrode in a tube containing low-pressure gas.
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the region of a space charge in a cathode-ray tube.
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verb (used with object)
noun
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a case or covering for the blade of a knife, sword, etc
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any similar close-fitting case
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biology an enclosing or protective structure, such as a leaf base encasing the stem of a plant
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the protective covering on an electric cable
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a figure-hugging dress with a narrow tapering skirt
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another name for condom
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sheath
before 950; Middle English s ( c ) heth ( e ), Old English scēath; cognate with German Scheide; see shed 2
Explanation
A sheath is a protective case for a knife or a sword. The most exciting part of a staged sword fight might be the moment when the hero pulls his weapon out of its sheath. A sheath is also a dress that is straight, fitted, and simple. You might advise your Aunt Martha to choose a sheath dress for her third wedding, instead of the white lace gown with the long train. The word sheath most likely comes from the Old English scēath, meaning a divide or a split, like the split piece of wood which originally served as a sword's sheath.
Vocabulary lists containing sheath
Words from Shakespearean Insults
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
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Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
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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:
"The crystallisation basins are covered by grass and sheath and so on. This is not the landscape that usually salinas are," she said, explaining the changes to the area that saltwork pumping created.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Under Amen's body, a green knife sheath was found and seized by police.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
Calvin Klein, where Bessette worked before marrying JFK Jr., has a “90s Edit” on its website showcasing sheath dresses, white button-down shirts and other minimalist looks from the era.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
The road ahead, once hidden in a sheath of forest, is now a scar carved into the side of a landscape of exposed soil and the standing carcasses of tens of thousands of blackened trees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2025
Her hands stop when they reach the sheath strap across her chest.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Standard CD20 antibodies are an established treatment for MS, with the antibodies targeting the renegade autoimmune cells that damage nerve sheaths.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
As interim CEO, Peterson swapped her corporate wardrobe for ostrich-feathered sheaths, tiger-striped hatbands, snakeskin-patterned coats and cheetah-spotted sneakers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2025
Testing included tracking gene activation, measuring the microscopic new myelin sheaths surrounding axons, and observing that treated mice were quicker at navigating a water maze.
From Science Daily ● May 2, 2024
The extraordinary darkness that sheaths the Atacama, which stretches for hundreds of miles in Chile’s north, has made it a haven for astronomers searching for planets and stars shimmering in the night sky.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2024
She wiped her knives on her leather breeches and returned them to their sheaths, then backed up and took a running start at the nearest cargo container.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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.
