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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Having finally been diagnosed as adults, many have taken to print to shed light on the reality, variety and complexity of these once hidden lives.
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026
Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average, another beneficiary of the AI trade, declined 1.3% as Tokyo Electron shed 2.45% and Kioxia Holdings dived 11%.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026
Elephant seals live in open water, but it’s common for them to return to where they were born for molting season, when they shed their topmost layer of skin and fur.
From Salon • Jul. 7, 2026
The cuts include the deepest overhaul in Xbox's history, with approximately 3,200 gaming jobs to be shed over the coming fiscal year, including positions at four studios that are being spun off or sold.
From Barron's • Jul. 6, 2026
But of course that made it all the more difficult to spot a likely barn or shed where we could lie up for the day.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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.
