shed
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A slight or temporary structure built to shade or shelter something.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
shehdIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈʃɛd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A slight or temporary structure built to shade or shelter something; a structure usually open in front; an outbuilding, especially a smallish one; a hut.
A large temporary open structure for reception of goods.
verb
Cause or allow (a solid substance) to flow or run out or over
transitive
To allow to flow or fall.
ambitransitive
To part with, separate from, leave off; cast off, cast, let fall, be divested of.
Cast off hair, skin, horn, or feathers
transitive
To radiate, cast, give off (light).
transitive
To place or allocate a vehicle, such as a locomotive, in or to a depot or shed.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A slight or temporary structure built to shade or shelter something; a structure usually open in front; an outbuilding, especially a smallish one; a hut.
Used this way, shed is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use shed
- “He shed his image as a pushy boss.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The process whereby something is shed.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Kill violently.
Make free from confusion or ambiguity.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: cause or allow (a solid substance) to flow
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.