shelter

[shel-ter]

noun

1. something beneath, behind, or within which a person, animal, or thing is protected from storms, missiles, adverse conditions, etc.; refuge.

   Synonyms: harbor, haven, shield, sanctuary, asylum, retreat

2. the protection or refuge afforded by such a thing.

   He took shelter in a nearby barn.

3. protection from blame, incrimination, etc.

4. a dwelling place or home considered as a refuge from the elements.

   Everyone's basic needs are food, clothing, and shelter.

5. a building serving as a temporary refuge or residence for abandoned animals, people who are homeless, etc.: animal shelter.

   homeless shelter;

   animal shelter.

6. Finance.,  tax shelter.

verb (used with object)

1. to be a shelter for; afford shelter to.

   The old barn sheltered him from the rain.

   Synonyms: house, harbor

2. to provide with a shelter; place under cover.

3. to protect, as by shelter; take under one's protection.

   Parents should not try to shelter their children from normal childhood disappointments.

   Synonyms: defend, shield, safeguard, guard

4. Finance.,  to invest (money) in a tax shelter.

verb (used without object)

1. to take shelter; find a refuge.

   Students sheltered in the gymnasium when they heard the tornado sirens.

2. Finance.,  to invest money in a tax shelter.

shelter

/ ˈʃɛltə /

noun

1. something that provides cover or protection, as from weather or danger; place of refuge

2. the protection afforded by such a cover; refuge

3. the state of being sheltered

verb

1. (tr) to provide with or protect by a shelter

2. (intr) to take cover, as from rain; find refuge

3. (tr) to act as a shelter for; take under one's protection

Other Word Forms

• shelterer noun
• shelteringly adverb
• shelterless adjective
• shelterlessness noun
• self-shelter noun
• unsheltering adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shelter¹

First recorded in 1575–85; of uncertain origin; perhaps alteration of obsolete sheltron “testudo” (a protective vault formed of Roman legionaries' shields), Old English scieldtruma, equivalent to scield + truma “body of men in battle formation”; shield ( def. ), trim

Word History and Origins

Origin of shelter¹

C16: of uncertain origin

Synonym Study

See cover.

Example Sentences

In one patch of blue canvas shelters, some 60 doctors, nurses and pharmacists have assembled what passes for a clinic: a makeshift pharmacy, a rudimentary laboratory and tents used as short-stay wards.

Read more on Barron's

And once a house ignites, suggestions that Smith offered up at ReadyFest like sheltering in a bathroom are of little use, said Mark Ghilarducci, a former director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Diamond Hampers, of Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, said it had accumulated a surplus of supplies despite already distributing goods to local homeless shelters and families.

Read more on BBC

Instead, would-be tenants would turn to older apartment buildings, single-family homes or, in the most extreme cases, shelters and encampments.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

On the firm’s website, Indyke describes himself as “a devoted husband and father of twin daughters” who volunteers with dog rescue shelters.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• asylum 
• dwelling 
• haven 
• home 
• house 
• hut 
• lodging 
• refuge 
• safety 
• sanctuary 
• shack 
• shed 
• tent