26984 words

shed

14 definitions • 24 examples
1
a small building, usually made of wood, used for storing things:

Examples:

a tool/storage shed
UK a garden/bicycle shed
2

Examples:

the lambing shed
a cow shed
3
(often used in newspapers) to get rid of something you do not need or want:

Examples:

900 jobs will be shed over the next few months.
Psychotherapy helped him to shed some of his insecurity/inhibitions.
I'm going on a diet to see if I can shed (= become thinner by losing) a few pounds.
4
to lose a covering, such as leaves, hair, or skin, because it falls off naturally, or to drop something in a natural way or by accident:

Examples:

shed its leaves The trees shed their leaves in autumn.
They ran down to the water, shedding clothes as they went.
UK A lorry had shed a load of gravel across the road.
5
to allow tears or blood to flow:

Examples:

She shed a few tears at her daughter's wedding.
6
to release a virus or bacterium from a cell or body into the environment where it can infect other people:

Examples:

Those who have contracted the new coronavirus shed the virus most heavily in the first few days of the illness.
People shed the virus in respiratory droplets and aerosols.
7

Examples:

The lawn mower is kept in the shed.
8
to get rid of something:

Examples:

As the day warmed up, she shed her sweater.
9
to lose hair, leaves, or skin, or to cause hair, skin, or leaves to drop:

Examples:

[ I ] My cat shed all over the couch.
[ T ] By November, the trees had shed their leaves.
10
to make blood or tears flow:

Examples:

He didn’t shed one tear when his old car was stolen.
11

Examples:

A single bulb shed a harsh light on the table.
12
to get rid of something you do not need or want, especially jobs or employees:

Examples:

There are rumors that the retailer will shed more than 400 jobs over the next year.
13
to lose value in the stock market or other financial markets:

Examples:

The stock shed another 16% of its value yesterday, closing at $15.25.
The Dow Jones industrial average shed 242.66 points, or 1.97%, to close at 12,075.96.
14

Examples:

The structure is used as a truck storage shed.

Navigation