shower
1 Americannoun
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a brief fall of rain or, sometimes, of hail or snow.
An afternoon shower is forecast for tomorrow.
This weekend they’re predicting freezing weather with scattered snow showers.
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Also called shower bath.
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a bath in which water is sprayed on the body, usually from an overhead perforated nozzle showerhead.
I took a quick shower before dinner.
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the apparatus for this or the room or stall enclosing it.
The shower is leaking.
We have two bathrooms, but the downstairs one has only a shower and no tub.
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an abundant supply or quantity.
I wish you and your family a shower of wealth, joy, health, and other blessings!
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a party at which gifts of a specific kind are given, as for a bride, prospective parent, someone moving house, or any other purpose.
Excited by the prospect of a new campus infirmary, students and alumni held a linen shower to provide new sheets and towels.
When he moved into his own apartment, we held a housewarming shower for him, giving him more kitchenware than one person could ever use.
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a fall of many objects, such as tears, sparks, things that are thrown, etc..
The couple walked out of the church under a shower of confetti.
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Astronomy. air shower.
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showers, a room or area equipped with several overhead perforated nozzles, sometimes in separate stalls, for use by a number of people bathing at the same time.
verb (used with object)
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showers,
present (3rd person singular)
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showered,
past participle, past
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showering
present participle
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to bestow liberally or lavishly.
We showered good wishes and last-minute bits of advice on the departing hockey team.
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to deluge (a person) with gifts, favors, etc..
She was showered with gifts on her birthday.
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to bathe (oneself) with water sprayed on the body, usually from an overhead perforated nozzle.
In the past 30 days the patient has been able to exercise, shower himself, toilet himself, and play a board game.
verb (used without object)
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showers,
present (3rd person singular)
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showered,
past participle, past
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showering
present participle
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to bathe with water sprayed on the body, usually from an overhead perforated nozzle.
Do you prefer to shower in the morning or at bedtime?
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to rain briefly.
During the final game on Saturday it showered for a couple of minutes, and then the sun came out again.
idioms
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hit the showers,
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to go and take a shower (originally of a group bathing in a space with multiple overhead nozzles, as in a gym, school, locker room, etc.).
The coach made us run one more lap before we hit the showers.
After eight hours helping them move, I'm ready to hit the showers and go to bed.
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Baseball. (of a pitcher) to be replaced in a game, usually because of ineffectiveness.
He was throwing inconsistently and found himself hitting the showers before the fifth inning four times in two months.
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to stop giving one’s full effort, as if the game or task were over.
You don't hit the showers if you're up three touchdowns in the first quarter—you finish the game with the same intensity you started with.
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send to the showers,
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to replace (a pitcher) during a game, usually because they are ineffective.
The coach sent him to the showers after he walked three batters in a row.
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to cause (a pitcher) to be replaced in a game, as by getting many hits off them; knock out of the box.
Two home runs and a line-drive double sent her to the showers.
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noun
noun
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a brief period of rain, hail, sleet, or snow
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a sudden abundant fall or downpour, as of tears, sparks, or light
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a rush; outpouring
a shower of praise
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a kind of bath in which a person stands upright and is sprayed with water from a nozzle
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Full name: shower bath. the room, booth, etc, containing such a bath
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slang a derogatory term applied to a person or group, esp to a group considered as being slack, untidy, etc
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a party held to honour and present gifts to a person, as to a prospective bride
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a large number of particles formed by the collision of a cosmic-ray particle with a particle in the atmosphere
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a light fabric cover thrown over a tea table to protect the food from flies, dust, etc
verb
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(tr) to sprinkle or spray with or as if with a shower
shower the powder into the milk
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to fall or cause to fall in the form of a shower
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(tr) to give (gifts, etc) in abundance or present (a person) with (gifts, etc)
they showered gifts on him
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(intr) to take a shower
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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showerlessadjective
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showerlikeadjective
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showeryadjective
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unshoweredadjective
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well-showeredadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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showersimple
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showerssimple
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have showeredperfect
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has showeredperfect
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am showeringprogressive
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are showeringprogressive
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is showeringprogressive
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have been showeringperfect progressive
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has been showeringperfect progressive
Past
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showeredsimple
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had showeredperfect
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was showeringprogressive
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were showeringprogressive
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had been showeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shower1
First recorded before 950; Middle English noun shouer, shour, shour(r)e Old English scūr, scūra; cognate with German Schauer, Old Norse skūr, Gothic skūra; verb derivative of the noun
Origin of shower2
First recorded before 900; Middle English sheuer(e), shoure “watchman, overseer, teacher, guide” Old English scēawere, derivative of scēawian to show; see -er 1
Vocabulary lists containing shower
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.
See Examples For:
The spa-inspired bathroom includes a dual vanity, a glass-enclosed walk-in shower, and a separate soaking tub.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
But while the comet itself is a rare visitor, the Earth encounters material left behind by it twice a year, resulting in the Eta Aquariid meteor shower in May and the Orionids in October.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Customers buying a baby shower gift, meanwhile, would be targeted with future purchase suggestions that assumed they were having a baby.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
The primary suite offers an enormous spa-inspired bathroom, as well as a fireplace, wet bar, steam shower, and gym, with the listing describing it as a “private retreat.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
“So, finish up and take a quick shower, please.”
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
One of the best-known meteor showers of the year is returning to our skies this week, as the Earth passes through debris left behind by Halley's Comet.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
As Polo reaches Mexico, Southern California will probably see some unusual clouds and a few showers, Ralph said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
By Sunday rain and showers will ease, leaving largely dry and settled conditions into next week.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Most teams don ski goggles to celebrate with champagne and beer showers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
I took the clothes and headed to the showers, just in case I met someone in a nearby seat.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
I showered the whole thing with cotija and lemon zest and served it alongside one of those zesty slaw kits, also from Trader Joe’s.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
I Need,” which turned into clap-along bedlam before confetti cannons showered the crowd.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
For three months, the two rappers slept, showered and worked there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Lured by the 216% annual return at his previous fund, investors showered nearly $300 million at him in the opening weeks of 2000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Sparks showered down, and the underbrush burst into flames.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Her other best practices include showering in lukewarm water for no longer than 10 minutes and always moisturizing afterward.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Its open crumb absorbs just enough sauce to become more flavorful as it sits, while the soft crust remains easy to eat on a towel without showering your lap in shards.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
Use extractor fans when cooking or showering because they remove warm, moist air before it spreads through the home.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
"We use as little as possible," she said, standing at the locker room of a local sports field, which was turned into a temporary showering facility.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
When Adam came through door, showering Teddy with Skittles, Mom and Dad called me down.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
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.
