shirt
Americannoun
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shirts
plural
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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:
In June 2023, he was handed the England number 10 shirt for a qualifier in Malta, a game which the Three Lions won 4-0 - and in which Alexander-Arnold himself scored from midfield.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
“A full head of hair. And maybe wearing this striped shirt that I got — if it still exists.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
And after it ends, his shirt is almost soaked through, his brow furrowed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Connor Wray, the CFO, was passing through Chicago in a shirt that resembled the brand’s colorful wrappers when he was stopped by a TSA agent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
I wanted to wear my purple flowered shirt with white denim shorts, but the smoothie stain didn’t come all the way out.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
She ate alongside her employees, who were almost all decked out in black slacks and pink polo shirts bearing her firm’s name and its hummingbird logo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Lululemon has expanded into things like rugby shirts, charms and collaborations with brands like Disney.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
It is seeking donations of good-quality, unbranded uniform items, including polo shirts, pinafores and PE shorts.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Attendees wore holographic bodysuits, went wild when the beat dropped and occasionally spilled their drinks down their shirts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Seeing the ruffled shirts Gracy made for Andrew Jackson, a guest at the Hermitage wrote, “Her needlework was unexcelled.”
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
