1
: a garment for the upper part of the body: such as
a
: a cloth garment usually having a collar, sleeves, a front opening, and a tail long enough to be tucked inside trousers or a skirt
2
: all or a large part of one's money or resources
lost his shirt on that business deal
shirtless adjective

Examples of shirt in a Sentence

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.
Bezos, who is No. 4 on Forbes' global billionaires list, donned a black tuxedo and bow tie over a white shirt. Gavin Jones, USA Today, 30 June 2025 Los Angeles Sparks star Kelsey Plum took a playful jab at a WNBA fan who was set to wear a Caitlin Clark shirt while sitting courtside at the Crypto.com Arena before the team’s game against the Chicago Sky. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2025 The British royal wore the Tiare shirt in sky blue, which featured white and blue stripes with a buttoned placket and rhinestone openwork flowers on the long sleeves. Julia Teti, Footwear News, 30 June 2025 The collection features camp shirts, baggy shirts, crew neck and collared sweaters, a boxy cropped zip jacket and collared long sleeve, trousers, and assortment of basic tees and tanks. Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 30 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for shirt

Word History

Etymology

Middle English shirte, from Old English scyrte; akin to Old Norse skyrta shirt, Old English scort short

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shirt. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

shirt

noun
1
: a garment for the upper part of the body usually with a collar, sleeves, a front opening, and a tail long enough to be tucked inside pants or a skirt
2

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