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View synonyms for

shave

[sheyv]

verb (used without object)

shaved, shaved , shaven, shaving .
  1. to remove a growth of beard with a razor.



verb (used with object)

shaved, shaved , shaven, shaving .
  1. to remove hair from (the face, legs, etc.) by cutting it off close to the skin with a razor.

  2. to cut off (hair, especially the beard) close to the skin with a razor (often followed by off oraway ).

  3. to cut or scrape away the surface of with a sharp-edged tool.

    to shave hides in preparing leather.

  4. to reduce to shavings or thin slices.

    to shave wood.

  5. to cut or trim closely.

    to shave a lawn.

  6. to scrape, graze, or come very near to.

    The car just shaved the garage door.

    Synonyms: , ,
  7. Commerce.to purchase (a note) at a rate of discount greater than is legal or customary.

  8. to reduce or deduct from.

    The store shaved the price of winter suits in the spring.

noun

  1. the act, process, or an instance of shaving or being shaved.

  2. a thin slice; a shaving.

  3. any of various tools for shaving, scraping, removing thin slices, etc.

shave

/ ʃɪ /

verb

  1. (also intr) to remove (the beard, hair, etc) from (the face, head, or body) by scraping the skin with a razor

  2. to cut or trim very closely

  3. to reduce to shavings

  4. to remove thin slices from (wood, etc) with a sharp cutting tool; plane or pare

  5. to touch or graze in passing

  6. informalto reduce (a price) by a slight amount

  7. commerce to purchase (a commercial paper) at a greater rate of discount than is customary or legal

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the act or an instance of shaving

  2. any tool for scraping

  3. a thin slice or shaving

  4. an instance of barely touching something

  5. informala narrow escape

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • shavable adjective
  • shaveable adjective
  • reshave verb
  • unshavable adjective
  • unshaveable adjective
  • unshaved adjective
  • well-shaved adjective
  • ˈ󲹱 adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of shave1

before 900; (v.) Middle English schaven, schafen, Old English sc ( e ) afan; cognate with Dutch schaven to plane (a plank), abrade (the skin), Low German schaven, German schaben, Old Norse skafa to scrape, Gothic skaban to shear, shave; (noun) Middle English schave tool for shaving, Old English sc ( e ) afa, derivative of the v.
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Word History and Origins

Origin of shave1

Old English sceafan; related to Old Norse skafa, Gothic skaban to shave, Latin scabere to scrape
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Idioms and Phrases

see close call (shave).
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

After shaving a second off her previous best time on the backstroke leg, McIntosh was still a tenth of a second off Hosszú’s previous record pace at the final turn.

From

The Sheriff’s Department is looking for the suspect, who was described as a Black male, 6 feet, 2 inches tall, 180 pounds and with a shaven head.

From

“She carved out her own space and just occupied it,” she says of Skin, a Black woman who appeared on the cover of Skunk Anansie’s 1995 debut wearing camo pants and a shaved head.

From

“I can’t wait for everybody to come out there and have some shaved ice. I’m sure they’ll be waiting for us.”

From

Even his shaved head is covered in the Gothic black letters long popular in Chicano culture that spell out: Family, Loyalty, L.A.

From

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Shavano Peakshaveling