sheet

[ sheet ]

/ ʃit /

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See synonyms for: sheet / sheeted / sheeting / sheets on Thesaurus.com

noun

a large rectangular piece of cotton, linen, or other material used as an article of bedding, commonly spread in pairs so that one is immediately above and the other immediately below the sleeper.

a broad, relatively thin, surface, layer, or covering.

a relatively thin, usually rectangular form, piece, plate, or slab, as of photographic film, glass, metal, etc.

material, as metal or glass, in the form of broad, relatively thin pieces.

a sail, as on a ship or boat.

a rectangular piece of paper or parchment, especially one on which to write.

a newspaper or periodical.

Printing and Bookbinding. a large, rectangular piece of printing paper, especially one for printing a complete signature.

Philately. the impression from a plate or the like on a single sheet of paper before any division of the paper into individual stamps.

an extent, stretch, or expanse, as of fire or water: sheets of flame.

a thin, flat piece of metal or a very shallow pan on which to place food while baking.

Geology. a more or less horizontal mass of rock, especially volcanic rock intruded between strata or poured out over a surface.

Mathematics.

one of the separate pieces making up a geometrical surface: a hyperboloid of two sheets.
one of the planes or pieces of planes making up a Riemann surface.

Crystallography. a type of crystal structure, as in mica, in which certain atoms unite strongly in two dimensions to form a layer that is weakly joined to others.

verb (used with object)

to furnish with a sheet or sheets.

to wrap in a sheet.

to cover with a sheet or layer of something.

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Origin of sheet

First recorded before 900; Middle English shete, shet(te) “length of cloth, piece of linen,” Old English scīte, scēte, scȳte, scīete “garment, cloth, napkin”

OTHER WORDS FROM sheet

sheetless, adjectivesheetlike, adjective

Words nearby sheet

sheer, sheerlegs, Sheerness, sheer plan, sheesh, sheet, sheet anchor, sheet bend, sheetcase, sheet down, sheet erosion

Other definitions for sheet (2 of 2)

sheet²

[ sheet ]

/ ʃit /

noun

Nautical.

a rope or chain for extending the clews of a square sail along a yard.
a rope for trimming a fore-and-aft sail.
a rope or chain for extending the lee clew of a course.

verb (used with object)

Nautical. to trim, extend, or secure by means of a sheet or sheets.

Origin of sheet

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English shete, seate, shortening of Old English scēatlīne “sheet of a sail,” equivalent to scēat(a) “corner, angle, lower corner of a sail” + līne “rope”; cognate with Low German schote; see also sheet¹, line¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sheet in a sentence

The analysts said that most reinsurance companies would likely be able to rebuild their balance sheets through higher premiums next year.
Insurers are getting nervous as Hurricane Laura is set to make landfall as a powerful Category 4 storm|Jeremy Kahn|August 26, 2020|Fortune
That was supported by the discovery in 2010 of the original, mislogged observation sheet bearing five separate errors.
Death Valley hits 130° F, the hottest recorded temperature on Earth since 1931|Carolyn Gramling|August 17, 2020|Science News
Many of the geological features thought to have been carved out by flowing rivers and waterways replenished by frequent rainfall, the research suggests, may have actually resulted from massive glaciers and ice sheets that melted over time.
Mars may not have been the warm, wet planet we thought it was|Neel Patel|August 7, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Our plan is backed by a master developer, Toll Brothers, with decades of experience and an impressive balance sheet that answers any viability questions our competition raises.
Public Benefits Define Midway Proposal|Frank Wolden, Aruna Doddapaneni and Colin Parent|July 21, 2020|Voice of San Diego

It’s like origami, but “instead of folding the flat sheet, you cut … along the specific pattern,” explains Sahab Babaee.
Shape-shifting cuts give shoes a better grip|Carolyn Wilke|July 14, 2020|Science News For Students
Divide batter into prepared ramekins, place ramekins on a baking sheet, and bake about 20 minutes.
Make ‘The Chew’s’ Carla Hall’s Sticky Toffee Pudding|Carla Hall|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, place on a sheet pan, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Make These Barefoot Contessa Chicken Pot Pies|Ina Garten|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With a 1¾-inch ice cream scoop (or two spoons), scoop round balls of dough onto the prepared sheet pans.
Make These Barefoot Contessa Salty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies|Ina Garten|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Place the package, folded side up, on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
The Barefoot Contessa’s Tasty Trip to Paris|Ina Garten|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Place one sheet of phyllo on the board, brush it with butter, and sprinkle it with ¾ teaspoon of bread crumbs.
The Barefoot Contessa’s Tasty Trip to Paris|Ina Garten|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If you use it wisely, it may be Ulysses' hauberk; if you reject it, the shirt of Nessus were a cooler winding-sheet!
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
The Professor took his pen and wrote a large X upon the sheet of paper in front of him.
Uncanny Tales|Various
Instead of a cloth, on each table was a sheet of fine glazed paper which had the appearance of oiled silk.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
Demons—was the horrible word that flashed through his brain like a sheet of fire.
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood
A very shallow sheet of water flowed down over a broad but nowise precipitous ledge of rock into the valley beneath.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer

British Dictionary definitions for sheet (1 of 2)

sheet¹

/ (ʃiːt) /

noun

a large rectangular piece of cotton, linen, etc, generally one of a pair used as inner bedclothes

a thin piece of a substance such as paper, glass, or metal, usually rectangular in form
(as modifier)sheet iron

a broad continuous surface; expanse or stretcha sheet of rain

a newspaper, esp a tabloid

a piece of printed paper to be folded into a section for a book

a page of stamps, usually of one denomination and already perforated

any thin tabular mass of rock covering a large area

verb

(tr) to provide with, cover, or wrap in a sheet

(intr) (of rain, snow, etc) to fall heavily

Word Origin for sheet

Old English sciete; related to sceat corner, lap, Old Norse skaut, Old High German scōz lap

British Dictionary definitions for sheet (2 of 2)

sheet²

/ (ʃiːt) /

noun

nautical a line or rope for controlling the position of a sail relative to the wind

Word Origin for sheet

Old English scēata corner of a sail; related to Middle Low German schōte rope attached to a sail; see sheet 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with sheet

sheet

see three sheets to the wind; white as a sheet.

sheet

Origin of sheet

OTHER WORDS FROM sheet

Words nearby sheet

Other definitions for sheet (2 of 2)

Origin of sheet

Words related to sheet

How to use sheet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sheet (1 of 2)

Word Origin for sheet

British Dictionary definitions for sheet (2 of 2)

Word Origin for sheet

Other Idioms and Phrases with sheet