shirt
Americannoun
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a long- or short-sleeved garment for the upper part of the body, usually lightweight and having a collar and a front opening.
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an undergarment of cotton, or other material, for the upper part of the body.
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a shirtwaist.
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a nightshirt.
idioms
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in one's shirt sleeves, without a coat: Also in one's shirt-sleeves.
It was so hot that they worked in their shirt sleeves.
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lose one's shirt, to lose all that one possesses; suffer a severe financial reverse.
He lost his shirt in the stock market.
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keep one's shirt on, to refrain from becoming angry or impatient; remain calm.
Tell him to keep his shirt on until we're ready.
noun
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a garment worn on the upper part of the body, esp by men, usually of light material and typically having a collar and sleeves and buttoning up the front
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short for nightshirt undershirt
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informal refrain from losing your temper (often used as an exhortation to another)
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informal to bet all one has on (a horse, etc)
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informal to lose all one has on (a horse, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of shirt
before 1150; Middle English schirte, Old English scyrte; cognate with German Schürze, Dutch schort apron, Old Norse skyrta skirt
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Another, wearing a royal blue and orange Knicks shirt, said: "I'm going to be honest. I don't know much about soccer."
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
The innocence of the Montagues is signified by their white attire—even though it is glitter-spangled or, in Romeo’s case, stylish wide-legged pants and a sleeveless shirt that might be straight from Zara.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
JC: Fun fact—Josh actually went through the last World Cup with an ice cube tray under his shirt, because we were in Qatar and it was approximately 300 degrees in the shade.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
In downtown Mexico City, street vendors hawk pirated goods on the sidewalks, with team shirts for Mexico, Argentina and Colombia selling for $10-$20, roughly one-tenth the price of an official shirt for Mexico's national team.
From Barron's • Jun. 6, 2026
When I’m almost done with my tenth mile, someone calls, “On your left!” and four girls thunder past me, one of them wearing an Oakview High cross-country shirt.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
