shirt
Americannoun
-
a long- or short-sleeved garment for the upper part of the body, usually lightweight and having a collar and a front opening.
-
an undergarment of cotton, or other material, for the upper part of the body.
-
a shirtwaist.
-
a nightshirt.
idioms
-
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.
-
lose one's shirt, to lose all that one possesses; suffer a severe financial reverse.
He lost his shirt in the stock market.
-
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
-
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
-
short for nightshirt undershirt
-
informal refrain from losing your temper (often used as an exhortation to another)
-
informal to bet all one has on (a horse, etc)
-
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:
They have really good vintage artist T-shirts and I got a cute Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation tour shirt last time I was there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Do you need a $150 cooling shirt or a $234 cooling cap when a splash of water and a light T-shirt might get you most of the way there?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Tiny, tapered holes in this long-sleeve shirt channel air onto the skin, with larger cutouts in high-sweat spots to keep the shirt light and chafe-free.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Ironically, Sir Keir Starmer had also embraced the dress-down spirit of his successor, with the outgoing PM sometimes seen in tracksuits, a Stone Island polo shirt, and Adidas trainers.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
I grab the bowl and lift it greedily to my mouth, drinking it so hungrily the water drips down my chin and on to my filthy shirt.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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
Kate Caffrey, head of intelligence at the Intellectual Property Office, warned that fake shirts are not regulated.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
The tournament produced a spike in the sales of fake shirts and kits, but the Fire Service has warned that these items are far more flammable and dangerous than the genuine articles.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
In this class, Hello Kitty-emblazoned shirts and tiny Dodgers hats are the highest tennis fashion statements.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
They are in street clothes—black frockcoats, shiny satin vests, and linen shirts.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
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.
