shirt

noun

ˈshərt How to pronounce shirt (audio)
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
b
: undershirt
2
: all or a large part of one's money or resources
lost his shirt on that business deal
shirtless
ˈshərt-ləs How to pronounce shirt (audio)
adjective
shirtlessness noun
shirtlike
ˈshərt-ˌlīk How to pronounce shirt (audio)
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.
While any peasant blouse or billowy eyelet top will do the trick, there’s something so romantic and eye-catching about an asymmetrical shirt with black jorts. — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 23 July 2026 The owner was described as a white woman with brown hair, wearing a pink shirt, green hat and sunglasses. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026 Sheeran is a minority stakeholder and former Ipswich shirt sponsor and was on site in May to celebrate when the club secured its promotion from The Championship to the Premier League. — Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 23 July 2026 If the original 1957 was a crisp cotton shirt, the Extrait version would be a delicate light chiffon, according to Polge. — Denni Hu, Footwear News, 23 July 2026 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

Phrases Containing shirt

Rhymes for shirt

See All Rhymes for shirt

Browse Nearby Words

shirring
shirt
shirtband
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shirt. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

shirt

noun
ˈshərt How to pronounce shirt (audio)
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
: undershirt

More from Merriam-Webster on shirt

Nglish: Translation of shirt for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shirt

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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