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

But Palestinians said displaced families had been sheltering in the building, and Gaza civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal accused Israel of enacting "a policy of forced displacement".

From BBC

Andy is a recognizable type within the white savior realm: a Black man with extraordinary potential who can only flourish under the shelter and care of a white person who takes him in as “family.”

From Salon

The city of Norwalk will repeal a local law passed last year that banned homeless shelters as part of a settlement that will end a state lawsuit, Atty.

From Los Angeles Times

Rows of tents - which have sprung up over the city to shelter Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military campaign - have also disappeared over the past month, the images show.

From BBC

A woman who, as her daughter writes, was "my shelter and my storm".

From BBC

Related Words

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