shower

¹

[shou-er]

noun

1. 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.

2. Also called shower bath. 

   1. a bath in which water is sprayed on the body, usually from an overhead perforated nozzle showerhead.

      I took a quick shower before dinner.

   2. 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.

3. an abundant supply or quantity.

   I wish you and your family a shower of wealth, joy, health, and other blessings!

   Synonyms: torrent, spate, deluge, flood

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Astronomy.,  air shower.

7. 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)

1. to bestow liberally or lavishly.

   We showered good wishes and last-minute bits of advice on the departing hockey team.

2. to deluge (a person) with gifts, favors, etc..

   She was showered with gifts on her birthday.

3. 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)

1. 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?

2. to rain briefly.

   During the final game on Saturday it showered for a couple of minutes, and then the sun came out again.

shower

²

[shoh-er]

noun

1. a person or thing that shows.

shower

¹

/ ˈʃaʊə /

noun

1. a brief period of rain, hail, sleet, or snow

2. a sudden abundant fall or downpour, as of tears, sparks, or light

3. a rush; outpouring

   a shower of praise

4. 1. a kind of bath in which a person stands upright and is sprayed with water from a nozzle

   2. Full name: shower bath. the room, booth, etc, containing such a bath

5. slang,  a derogatory term applied to a person or group, esp to a group considered as being slack, untidy, etc

6. a party held to honour and present gifts to a person, as to a prospective bride

7. a large number of particles formed by the collision of a cosmic-ray particle with a particle in the atmosphere

8. a light fabric cover thrown over a tea table to protect the food from flies, dust, etc

verb

1. (tr) to sprinkle or spray with or as if with a shower

   shower the powder into the milk

2. to fall or cause to fall in the form of a shower

3. (tr) to give (gifts, etc) in abundance or present (a person) with (gifts, etc)

   they showered gifts on him

4. (intr) to take a shower

shower

²

/ ˈʃəʊə /

noun

1. a person or thing that shows

Other Word Forms

• showerless adjective
• showerlike adjective
• unshowered adjective
• well-showered adjective
• showery adjective

Word History and Origins

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; -er ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of shower¹

Old English scūr; related to Old Norse skūr, Old High German skūr shower, Latin caurus northwest wind

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. hit the showers,

   1. 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.

   2. 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.

   3. 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.

2. send to the showers,

   1. 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.

   2. 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.

see cold shower.

Example Sentences

He rose precisely at 5 a.m. for a long workout, chugged the same protein shake afterward, took a shower at 7 a.m. on the dot.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In Orange County, San Diego County and the Inland Empire, showers are expected to begin as early as Thursday morning and become widespread and heavier Thursday night and Friday morning.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

With a frost expected, areas where showers or rain and sleet have left the ground damp are at risk of ice becoming a hazard on roads and pavements.

Read more on BBC

“I remember some crying in the shower,” the singer says now.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Traffic Scotland, which monitors the country's roads, has said that "frequent snow showers" may lead to disruption in areas with weather warnings, and has issued similar advice to people travelling by road.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• deluge 
• downpour 
• drizzle 
• flood 
• hail 
• rain 
• rainstorm 
• sleet 
• storm