shingle

1 of 3

noun (1)

shin·​gle ˈshiŋ-gəl 

1

: a small thin piece of building material often with one end thicker than the other for laying in overlapping rows as a covering for the roof or sides of a building

2

: a small signboard especially designating a professional office

—used chiefly in the phrase hang out one's shingle

3

: a woman's haircut with the hair trimmed short from the back of the head to the nape

shingle

2 of 3

verb

shingled; shingling ˈshiŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to cover with or as if with shingles

2

: to bob and shape (the hair) in a shingle

3

: to lay out or arrange so as to overlap

shingler

ˈshiŋ-g(ə-)lər 

noun

shingle

3 of 3

noun (2)

1

: coarse rounded detritus or alluvial material especially on the seashore that differs from ordinary gravel only in the larger size of the stones

2

: a place strewn with shingle

shingly

ˈshiŋ-g(ə-)lē 

adjective

Examples of shingle in a Sentence

Verb

a house shingled with cedar

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Found predominantly in California and down in Miami, these sizable, elegant houses have long been desired for their terra-cotta shingles, stucco, and plenty of exterior archways beckoning you inside. —Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 June 2025

The panelists hold three open meetings each year to assess and vote on the clinical use of various existing and new vaccines, including ones that protect people against pneumonia, chicken pox, shingles, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), polio, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza and COVID. —Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 10 June 2025

Verb

It is housed in the historic Captain Pollard House, a federal-style shingled home. —Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 23 May 2025

Finally, the researchers note that shingles diagnosis and treatment didn't increase the probability of dementia diagnoses. —John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English schingel, alteration of Old English scindel, from Medieval Latin scindula, alteration of Latin scandula

Noun (2)

Middle English chyngell; akin to Middle Low German singel seashore gravel

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing shingle

• hang out one's shingle

Rhymes for shingle

• commingle
• dingle
• ingle
• jingle
• lingle
• mingle
• pringle
• single
• swingle
• tingle
• intermingle

Kids Definition

shingle

1 of 2 noun

shin·​gle ˈshiŋ-gəl 

1

: a small thin piece of building material for laying in overlapping rows as a covering for the roof or sides of a building

2

: a small sign

3

: a woman's short haircut

shinglelike

-ˌlīk

adjective

shingle

2 of 2 verb

shingled; shingling -g(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to cover with or as if with shingles

2

: to cut and shape the hair in a shingle