shingle

¹ American  

[shing-guhl] / ˈʃɪŋ gəl /

noun

1. a thin piece of wood, slate, metal, asbestos, or the like, usually oblong, laid in overlapping rows to cover the roofs and walls of buildings.

2. a woman's close-cropped haircut.

3. Informal. a small signboard, especially as hung before a doctor's or lawyer's office.

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verb (used with object)

shingled, shingling

1. to cover with shingles, as a roof.

2. to cut (hair) close to the head.

idioms

1. hang out one's shingle, to establish a professional practice, especially in law or medicine; open an office.

2. have / be a shingle short, to be mentally disturbed, mad, or eccentric.

shingle ² American  

[shing-guhl] / ˈʃɪŋ gəl /

noun

1. small, waterworn stones or pebbles such as lie in loose sheets or beds on a beach.

2. a beach, riverbank, or other area covered with such small pebbles or stones.

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shingle ³ American  

[shing-guhl] / ˈʃɪŋ gəl /

verb (used with object)

Metalworking.

shingled, shingling

1. to hammer or squeeze (puddled iron) into a bloom or billet, eliminating as much slag as possible; knobble.

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shingle ¹ British  

/ ˈʃɪŋɡəl /

noun

1. a thin rectangular tile, esp one made of wood, that is laid with others in overlapping rows to cover a roof or a wall

2. a woman's short-cropped hairstyle

3. a small signboard or nameplate fixed outside the office of a doctor, lawyer, etc

4. informal unintelligent or mentally subnormal

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verb

1. to cover (a roof or a wall) with shingles

2. to cut (the hair) in a short-cropped style

shingle ² British  

/ ˈʃɪŋɡəl /

noun

1. coarse gravel, esp the pebbles found on beaches

2. a place or area strewn with shingle

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shingle ³ British  

/ ˈʃɪŋɡəl /

verb

1. (tr) metallurgy to hammer or squeeze the slag out of (iron) after puddling in the production of wrought iron

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shingle More Idioms  

1. see hang out one's shingle.

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Other Word Forms

• shingler noun
• shingly adjective

Etymology

Origin of shingle¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English scincle, sc(h)ingle, shyngle, ultimately from Latin scindula, variant of scandula “lath, shingle” ( Middle English -g- is unexplained); Latin scindula is due perhaps to association with Greek schíza, schídax “piece of split wood, splinter”

Origin of shingle²

First recorded in 1530–40; apparently variant of earlier chingle; further origin uncertain; but compare North Frisian singel “gravel,” Norwegian singel “small stones”

Origin of shingle³

First recorded in 1665–75; from French cingler “to whip, beat,” from German zängeln “to shingle,” derivative of Zange “pincers, pliers”; see also tong

Explanation

A shingle is a thin piece of wood used in making a roof or a signboard outside an office, especially a doctor’s or lawyer's. If you’re opening a business, hang your shingle outside so people can find you. One kind of shingle is a rectangular piece of wood or other material used to make a roof. The other is a type of small sign outside an office that shows someone is ready to see clients, patients, or other types of customers. The word shingle is from the Latin scindere for "to split,” as in splitting wood, and whatever you do with a shingle, it’s a small flat hunk of wood.

Example Sentences

Leonard said one of the main species the initiative aimed to protect was the ringed plover, a small coastal bird that nests directly on beaches and shingle.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

His memories alight on his father, Wheeler, an attorney who turned down a high-paying job in Chicago to hang out his shingle in Port William.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025

This is particularly challenging for Kayla since her daddy is still alive and heads the rival management firm she and Jimmy abandoned to hang out their own shingle.

From Salon • Apr. 10, 2025

“We didn’t lose a single shingle in the last windstorm we had with all the fires.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2025

I dropped the shingle and crushed it out with my boot.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Related Words

• affidavit
• authentication
• authorization
• certification
• coupon
• credential
• deed
• diploma
• documentation
• guarantee
• license
• paper
• permit
• receipt
• ticket
• voucher
• warrant
• warranty