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• shin
  shin

  noun

  the front part of the leg from the knee to the ankle.
• shīn
  shīn

  noun

  the 13th letter of the Arabic alphabet.
• Shin
  Shin

  noun

  a Japanese offshoot of the Pure Land Sect, requiring only faith in Amida for salvation through his accumulated merit.

shin

¹ American  

[shin] / ʃɪn /

noun

1. the front part of the leg from the knee to the ankle.

2. the lower part of the foreleg in cattle.

3. the shinbone or tibia, especially its sharp edge or front portion.

4. Chiefly British. a cut of beef similar to the U.S. shank, usually cut into small pieces for stewing.

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verb (used with or without object)

shins, present (3rd person singular) shinned, past participle, past shinning present participle

1. to climb by holding fast with the hands or arms and legs and drawing oneself up.

shin ² American  

[sheen, shin] / ʃin, ʃɪn /

noun

1. the 21st letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

2. the consonant sound represented by this letter.

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shīn ³ American  

[sheen] / ʃin /

noun

1. the 13th letter of the Arabic alphabet.

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Shin ⁴ American  

[shin, sheen] / ʃɪn, ʃin /

noun

Buddhism.

1. a Japanese offshoot of the Pure Land Sect, requiring only faith in Amida for salvation through his accumulated merit.

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shin ¹ British  

/ ʃɪn /

noun

1. the front part of the lower leg

2. the front edge of the tibia

3. a cut of beef, the lower foreleg

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verb

1. to climb (a pole, tree, etc) by gripping with the hands or arms and the legs and hauling oneself up

2. (tr) to kick (a person) in the shins

shin ² British  

/ ʃɪn /

noun

1. the 21st letter in the Hebrew alphabet (ש), transliterated as sh

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• shinning
  present
• shinned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• shin
  simple
• shins
  simple
• have shinned
  perfect
• has shinned
  perfect
• am shinning
  progressive
• are shinning
  progressive
• is shinning
  progressive
• have been shinning
  perfect progressive
• has been shinning
  perfect progressive

Past

• shinned
  simple
• had shinned
  perfect
• was shinning
  progressive
• were shinning
  progressive
• had been shinning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will shin
  simple
• will have shinned
  perfect
• will be shinning
  progressive
• will have been shinning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of shin¹

before 1000; Middle English shine, Old English scinu; cognate with Dutch scheen, German Schien ( bein )

Origin of shin²

1895–1900; < Hebrew shīn, akin to shēn tooth

Origin of shīn³

From Arabic

Origin of Shin⁴

1895–1900; < Japanese: literally, faith < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese zhēn truth

Example Sentences

The Bayer Leverkusen defender caught Mexico's Jesus Gallardo high on the shin following a sliding challenge in the 54th minute.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026

Raducanu was spotted wearing a protective boot on Wednesday, then was unable to train on Thursday and Friday because of what is believed to be a shin problem.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026

During these sessions, participants walked on a treadmill while wearing a device on the shin that provided vibration feedback.

From Science Daily • May 22, 2026

Work paused frequently as workers uncovered thousands of fossils, including a 2-foot bison horn and camel shin bone, dating back to the Ice Age.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

“Montag, you shin that pole like a bird up a tree.”

From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

Related Words

• tibia