sheathe
Americanverb (used with object)
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to put (a sword, dagger, etc.) into a sheath.
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to plunge (a sword, dagger, etc.) in something as if in a sheath.
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to enclose in or as if in a casing or covering.
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to cover or provide with a protective layer or sheathing.
to sheathe a roof with copper.
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to cover (a cable, electrical connector, etc.) with a metal sheath for grounding.
verb
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to insert (a knife, sword, etc) into a sheath
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(esp of cats) to retract (the claws)
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to surface with or encase in a sheath or sheathing
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sheathesimple
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sheathessimple
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have sheathedperfect
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has sheathedperfect
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am sheathingprogressive
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are sheathingprogressive
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is sheathingprogressive
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have been sheathingperfect progressive
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has been sheathingperfect progressive
Past
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sheathedsimple
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had sheathedperfect
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was sheathingprogressive
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were sheathingprogressive
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had been sheathingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sheathe
1350–1400; Middle English shethen, derivative of sheath
Explanation
The verb sheathe means to place in a sheath. What's a sheath? Well, that's any kind of protective covering. With that extra "e" on the end sheathe gives off a very old English vibe. Perhaps that's because all those knights were often sheathing their swords so as not to scare the fair ladies. Those knights were also sheathed in armor when going into battle or setting off to joust. These days, with medieval armaments in low demand, not much gets sheathed — except maybe the kitchen knives in the knife block or your cat's claws when they retract.
Vocabulary lists containing sheathe
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Slaughterhouse-Five
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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.
“You do not want to anger him. Sheathe your steel, ser. Leathers, take Wun Wun back to Hardin’s.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Sheathe your dagger: Be angry when you will, it shall have scope; Do what you will, dishonor shall be humor.
From McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader by McGuffey, William Holmes
"Sheathe your sword," warned Ghek, "so that should we pass others of my kind I may say to them that you are a new prisoner with some likelihood of winning their belief."
From The Chessmen of Mars by Burroughs, Edgar Rice
Sheathe your dagger: Be angry when you will, it shall have scope; Do what you will, dishonor shall be humour.
From Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, William
At once our swords flashed out, But Christus, lifting up his hand, said, 'Peace, Sheathe thy sword, Peter—I must drink the cup.'
From A Roman Lawyer in Jerusalem : First Century by Story, William Wetmore
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.
