shave

1 of 2

verb

ˈshāv 

shaved; shaved or shaven ˈshā-vən  ; shaving

transitive verb

1

a

: to remove a thin layer from

b

: to cut off in thin layers or shreds : slice

c

: to cut off closely

2

a

: to sever the hair from (the head or another part of the body) close to the roots

b

: to cut off (hair or beard) close to the skin

3

a

: to discount (a note) at an exorbitant rate

b

: deduct, reduce

c

: to conspire to score fewer (points) than one is capable of (as to affect gambling outcomes)

4

: to come close to or touch lightly in passing

intransitive verb

1

: to cut off hair or beard close to the skin

2

: to proceed with difficulty : scrape

shave

2 of 2

noun

1

: shaver sense 3

2

: a thin slice : shaving

3

: an act or the process of shaving

Synonyms

Verb

• bob
• clip
• crop
• cut
• cut back
• dock
• lop (off)
• nip
• pare
• poll
• prune
• shear
• snip
• trim

Examples of shave in a Sentence

Verb

She cut herself while shaving her legs.

The sheep were all shaved.

He shaves every morning before breakfast.

I cut myself shaving this morning.

She shaves her dog's fur in the summer.

He shaved some butter from the container.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Smith wagered his hair on it, making a bet with three cadets over the winner with the losing side having to shave their head. —Matt Weyrich, Baltimore Sun, 14 Dec. 2024

Buehler had shaved his head to help raise money for childhood cancer research through St. Baldrick’s Foundation. —Jen Karmarkar, Orange County Register, 9 Dec. 2024

Noun

István dumps his pack and then sits on the toilet, and after that has a shower and a shave. —David Szalay, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2024

On Monday, both actors shared the images, one of which shows Coulier getting a shave from his longtime friend. —Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 22 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English scafan; akin to Lithuanian skobti to pluck, Latin scabere to scratch, and perhaps to Greek koptein to cut — more at capon

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing shave

• close shave

Kids Definition

shave

1 of 2 verb

ˈshāv 

shaved; shaved or shaven ˈshā-vən  ; shaving

1

a

: to cut off in thin layers or shreds

b

: to cut off closely

2

a

: to cut the hair from (as the head) close to the roots

b

: to cut off hair or beard close to the skin

3

: to come close to or touch lightly in passing

the tire shaved the curb

shave

2 of 2 noun

1

: a tool for shaving or cutting thin slices

2

: an act or process of shaving especially the beard

3

: a narrow escape

a close shave