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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
He is clean-cut and invariably dons the same uniform as corporate France: a dark tie, dark suit and crisp white shirt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
One gripped the badge of his red Spanish football shirt and cried: "Viva Espana!"
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
Cohen wore a long sleeve buttoned-down shirt for interview, even though people in the company wore T-shirts.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Taylor, our cheery guide, met us wearing a short-sleeved button-down shirt and a bow tie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
I sweat most of those days, right through my shirt, making what some of the kids called stink spots under the arms.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
At a recent Hawaiian-themed wedding in Sausalito, Calif., most guests arrived in Hawaiian shirts and hula skirts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
As plainclothes detective Tony Baretta, he swaggered through four gritty seasons in muscle shirts and a newsboy cap, with a snappy street patter and a pet cockatoo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
March 26: “Donuts are being named after me; T shirts have my picture on them.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Jumping from mall to mall, largely in the western United States, it expanded, and its uniforms of bright striped shirts and hats became a symbol of mall life of the 1980s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
St. Catherine’s has gray blazers, navy blue pants, white shirts, and blue ties, and it was hot in our uniforms.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
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.
