shire
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A former administrative district of England.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
shyrIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈʃaɪɹ
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
British
A former administrative district of England; equivalent to a county
by extension
An administrative area or district in other countries.
britishby extension
The people living in a shire (noun, sense 1.1) considered collectively.
British breed of large heavy draft horse
A draught horse of a tall British breed, usually bay, black, or grey.
britishby extensioninformal
The general area in which a person comes from or lives.
verb
transitive
To constitute or reconstitute (a country or region) into one or more shires (noun noun, sense 1.1) or counties.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
British breed of large heavy draft horse.
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