Jump To:

• shed
  shed

  noun

  a simple or rude structure built for shelter, storage, etc.
• she'd
  she'd

  contraction of she had.

shed

¹ American  

[shed] / ʃɛd /

noun

1. a simple or rude structure built for shelter, storage, etc.

2. a large, strongly built structure, often open at the sides or end.

---

shed ² American  

[shed] / ʃɛd /

verb (used with object)

• sheds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• shed,
  past participle,  past
• shedding
  present participle

1. to emit and let fall, as tears.

   When someone arrived to rescue us, I shed tears of joy and gratitude.

2. 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.

   Synonyms:

   effuse, radiate, emit

3. to resist being penetrated or affected by.

   The jacket is treated with a durable water-repellent finish to shed light precipitation.

   Synonyms:

   repel

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. to pour forth (water or other liquid), as a fountain or river.

   All of these rivers eventually shed their waters into the Luapula River.

7. Textiles. to separate (the warp) in forming a shed.

---

verb (used without object)

• sheds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• shed,
  past participle,  past
• shedding
  present participle

1. 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.

   Synonyms:

   slough, molt

2. to fall off, as leaves.

   Leaves that are severely infected by this disease will shed prematurely.

3. 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.

noun

1. Textiles. (on a loom) a triangular, transverse opening created between raised and lowered warp threads through which the shuttle passes in depositing the loose thread that will become the weft.

idioms

1. shed blood,

   1. to cause blood to flow.

   2. to kill by violence; slaughter.

she'd ³ American  

[sheed] / ʃid /

1. contraction of she had.

2. contraction of she would.

---

shed ¹ British  

/ ʃɛd /

verb

1. to pour forth or cause to pour forth

   to shed tears

   shed blood

2. to clarify or supply additional information about

3. to cast off or lose

   the snake shed its skin

   trees shed their leaves

4. (of a lorry) to drop (its load) on the road by accident

5. to abolish or get rid of (jobs, workers, etc)

6. to repel

   this coat sheds water

7. (also intr) (in weaving) to form an opening between (the warp threads) in order to permit the passage of the shuttle

8. dialect (tr) to make a parting in (the hair)

---

noun

1. (in weaving) the space made by shedding

2. short for watershed

3. a parting in the hair

shed ² British  

/ ʃɛd /

noun

1. a small building or lean-to of light construction, used for storage, shelter, etc

2. a large roofed structure, esp one with open sides, used for storage, repairing locomotives, sheepshearing, etc

3. a large retail outlet in the style of a warehouse

4. another name for freezing works

5. at work

---

verb

1. (tr) to store (hay or wool) in a shed

shed ³ British  

/ ʃɛd /

verb

1. (tr) to separate or divide off (some farm animals) from the remainder of a group

   a good dog can shed his sheep in a matter of minutes

---

noun

1. (of a dog) the action of separating farm animals

shed ⁴ British  

/ ʃɛd /

noun

1. physics a former unit of nuclear cross section equal to 10 ^–52 square metre

---

she'd ⁵ British  

/ ʃiːd /

contraction

1. she had or she would

---

Usage

See contraction.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• shedding
  noun
• nonshedding
  adjective
• shedable
  adjective
• sheddable
  adjective
• shedlike
  adjective
• unshedding
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• shedding
  present
• shed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• shed
  simple
• sheds
  simple
• have shed
  perfect
• has shed
  perfect
• am shedding
  progressive
• are shedding
  progressive
• is shedding
  progressive
• have been shedding
  perfect progressive
• has been shedding
  perfect progressive

Past

• shed
  simple
• had shed
  perfect
• was shedding
  progressive
• were shedding
  progressive
• had been shedding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will shed
  simple
• will have shed
  perfect
• will be shedding
  progressive
• will have been shedding
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of shed¹

First recorded in 1475–85; variant of shade

Origin of shed²

First recorded before 950; Middle English verb shed(d)en, shed, Old English scēadan, scādan; cognate with German scheiden “to separate, divide”

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shed she'd sheds shedding

The Manchester City striker revealed on social media that he had shed his famous blonde locks, posting the caption: "New season, new trim."

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

It’s not clear whether Charter would like to shed its deal with the Dodgers organization, which owns SportsNet LA.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Tokyo shed more than two percent, with Kioxia off around 10 percent and investment giant SoftBank faring little better.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

The soft showing comes as Baidu’s Hong Kong-listed shares have shed more than a fifth of their value this year, underperforming the broader market as the company’s legacy business continued to drag its outlook.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

One morning the code words were still being relayed down the long shed when a rather hefty Aufseherin stepped through the door.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Caroline had only gone to the doctors because she'd noticed a shortness of breath.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

"A few months ago, we genuinely didn't know whether she'd survive," said Ashpole.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

By the time she was 11, she’d already acted alongside Denzel Washington in “Remember the Titans,” which led her teachers and classmates to treat her differently.

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026

He recently learned that she’d scrawled a Bible verse — Proverbs 3:5-6 — in black Sharpie on the door of her bedroom at her mother’s house.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

She looked up from her landing place, where she’d managed to become wedged between the legs of the smallest chair.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

It also agreed to give homeowners extra time to comply with more onerous requirements, such as upgrading or replacing wooden fences and sheds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Takaichi has also accelerated a beefing up of Japan's military capabilities as its sheds its strict pacifist stance in place since the war.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

As this happens, it sheds its outer layers into space.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

Geological Survey, sheds light on America’s past, reports Carl Churchill.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

The Old Grange on the west side had been knocked down, and its place taken by rows of tarred sheds.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

McCabe believes the piecemeal shedding of jobs has not attracted the same political attention as other high-profile closures.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

During a repeating partial TDE, the star's surviving core remains in orbit and returns for additional close encounters, shedding more material each time.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

“I’ve done a good job shedding the bad weight,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

Boeing has focused on its core jet-making businesses as part of an ongoing turnaround, and it’s been shedding some of its more ancillary units in recent months.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

The worn yellow paint was shedding like an old dog.

From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben

Related Words

• discard
• drop
• jettison
• scrap
• take off
• yield