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
• shelterless adjective
• shelteringly adverb
• 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

At least 60 people have been killed in a drone strike at a displacement shelter in el-Fasher, a besieged Sudanese city on the brink of collapse.

Read more on BBC

In El-Fasher on Thursday, eyewitnesses said an RSF artillery attack killed 13 people in a mosque where displaced families were sheltering.

Read more on Barron's

They had earlier reported a toll of 30 dead but said bodies remained trapped in underground shelters.

Read more on Barron's

As police launched tear gas, panic spread fast and people fled in every direction, seeking shelter inside any open building, but he says his 20-year-old autistic son did not understand what was happening.

Read more on BBC

“Anytime something falls into that not-necessary category, which is really anything except for your food, basic needs and shelter, I say just wait 24 hours” before making the purchase, Caro said.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

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