shave

1 of 2

verb

shaved; shaved or shaven ˈshā-vən How to pronounce shave (audio) ; 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
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
2
: a thin slice : shaving
3
: an act or the process of shaving

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Planners say it’s expected to shave 12 minutes off travel times for buses and commuters and five minutes for others. Adrian Rodriguez, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2025 And while Clay may face a battle to expand its use cases within a larger organization, companies that start shaving several percentage points off of their operating expenses will be difficult to pull away from Clay, said Meritech’s Alex Kurland, who led the new funding round. Alex Konrad, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Noun
On top of a reusable razor and a cute stand, this set comes with a gel for dry shaving and five replacement blades, ensuring many smooth shaves to come. Malia Griggs, Glamour, 2 Jan. 2025 Strain off the ice into a cocktail or coupe glass, and garnish with a shave of fresh nutmeg. Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 9 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for shave 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of shave was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near shave

Cite this Entry

“Shave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shave. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

shave

1 of 2 verb
shaved; shaved or shaven ˈshā-vən How to pronounce shave (audio) ; 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

More from Merriam-Webster on shave

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!