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.
-
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:
"Cole needs to step up when he comes and he needs to show these kind of numbers to get his place, keep his shirt and justify the nomination."
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Dressed in a dark suit and white shirt with no tie, the former president sat with his chin resting on his hands as proceedings opened.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
Stones Throw, like the creature climbing up his shirt, is a resilient survivor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
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
I’m wearing my birthday gift from Celia—a new purple flowered shirt that’s identical to the one I stained the morning of the math exam, minus the smoothie spot.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Mbappe and Vinicius then removed their shirts before the pre-match handshake, while Konate kept his on for longer.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Onstage at this diverse block party of young and old in Malcolm X shirts and backward Jamaican flag hats, Elsesser bobs his head as if lost in thought.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Lululemon has expanded into things like rugby shirts, charms and collaborations with brands like Disney.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 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
Angels never wore overalls and plaid shirts in the pictures I’d seen in Sunday school.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
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.
