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

The precipitous decline shaved $2.4 billion off Trump’s net worth between Wednesday and Friday, cutting deeply into the $3.6 billion in gains Trump made during the previous month. —David Goldman, CNN, 4 Nov. 2024

This should make the engine more tractable throughout the rev range, and that’s not taking into consideration an optional race exhaust setup—for track use only, nudge nudge—that bumps those figures up to 126 horsepower and 73 lb-ft of torque, while shaving another 10 pounds. —Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

Noun

The Barbershop Cuts & Cocktails, Las Vegas, Nevada Barbershop is an authentic, old-school barbershop with an exclusive staff of barbers who are masters of all cuts and shaves. —Roger Sands, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024

Though more recently he's opted for a fuller facial hair look, in years past, he's kept a clean shave. —Alexandra Schonfeld, People.com, 18 Oct. 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