26984 words

shame

15 definitions • 23 examples
1
If something is described as a shame, it is disappointing or not satisfactory:

Examples:

[ + that ] It's a (great/real) shame that the event had to be cancelled.
[ + to infinitive ] Have some more vegetables - it would be a shame to waste them.
"Douglas had to miss the school concert because he was ill." "Oh, what a shame/that's a shame!"
2
an uncomfortable feeling of guilt or of being ashamed because of your own or someone else's bad behaviour:

Examples:

He said he felt no shame for what he had done.
hang/bow your head in shame The children hung/bowed their heads in shame.
shame of The shame of the scandal was so great that he shot himself a few weeks later.
have no shame You can't go out dressed like that - have you no shame (= don't you feel ashamed about being dressed like that)?
3
loss of honour and respect:

Examples:

He thinks there's great shame in being out of work and unable to provide for his family.
bring shame on In some societies, if a woman leaves her husband, it brings shame on her and her family.
4
to make someone feel ashamed:

Examples:

It puts me to shame that I still haven't replied to David's letter.
5
I feel ashamed because:

Examples:

To my shame, I never wrote and thanked Mary for her present.
6
used to tell someone that they should feel sorry for something they did:

Examples:

shame on you for Shame on you for being so mean.
7
to make someone or something seem not good by comparison:

Examples:

Your cooking puts mine to shame.
8
to make someone feel ashamed, or to make someone or something lose honour and respect:

Examples:

It shames me that I treated her so badly.
The behaviour of a few children has shamed the whole school.
9
to publicly criticize and draw attention to something someone has done, especially on the internet:

Examples:

A girl has shamed her library for saying she couldn't take part in a "boys only" robotics course.
10
to cause someone to do or not to do something by making them feel ashamed:

Examples:

[ + -ing verb ] The city council was shamed into taking action after criticism in the national and local media.
11
to be so much better than something else that the other thing seems of a low standard by comparison:

Examples:

The school's exam results shame those of the other schools in the area.
12
used to express disapproval of something that a public speaker is saying:

Examples:

To cries of "Shame!", the minister announced that taxes were being increased.
13
an uncomfortable feeling of guilt or of being ashamed because of your own or someone else’s bad behavior:

Examples:

He pointed out that society needed to restore a sense of shame about certain things.
14

Examples:

What a shame that they left just before we arrived.
[ + to infinitive ] Have some more vegetables – it would be a shame to waste them.
15
to make someone feel guilty or ashamed:

Examples:

My aunt told us that in her day women who weren’t married by the age of 25 were considered "old maids" and were so shamed by their families that they would do anything to get married.

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