shaved; shaved or shaven
ˈshā-vən 
; shaving
; shaving
1
a
: to remove a thin layer from
b
: to cut off in thin layers or shreds : slice
c
: to cut off closely
2
a
: to sever the hair from (the head or another part of the body) close to the roots
b
: to cut off (hair or beard) close to the skin
3
4
: to come close to or touch lightly in passing
1
: to cut off hair or beard close to the skin
2
: to proceed with difficulty : scrape
Synonyms
Examples of shave in a Sentence
Verb
She cut herself while shaving her legs.
The sheep were all shaved.
He shaves every morning before breakfast.
I cut myself shaving this morning.
She shaves her dog's fur in the summer.
He shaved some butter from the container.
Recent Examples on the Web
Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2024
People with beards or hijabs are subject to random harassment, with beards sometimes forcibly shaved in public or hijabs torn off.
—Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Boston College player Rick Kuhn conspired alongside mobsters to shave points off games in 1978 and 1979.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024
Bird shaved his head and went as her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
—Bryan West, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
GoodRx, a prescription drug savings card and app that customers can show at pharmacies nationwide to shave the price off prescription medications, also has a membership program that charges a monthly fee.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024
As noted by Cars Direct, Tesla owners could shave off as much as 24% off.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
The video then offered a step-by-step tutorial of how the mystery man achieved the hairstyle — including having the entire top, middle portion of his scalp shaved so that a fresh toupee could be carefully applied for the dramatic transformation.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
Gavin Newsom, California lawmakers cut $17 billion deal to shave looming state budget deficit, via Lindsey Holden.
—Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 8 Apr. 2024
Marci Robin, Allure, 23 Apr. 2024
In Hawaii, shops that serve shave ice, domes of pillowy-soft ice slivers doused in colorful syrups, vie for ubiquity with other local staples like poke places or lei stands.
—Matthew Dekneef, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The style features bald shaves on the sides that gradually fade into a three-blade shave.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 6 Feb. 2024
The five blades are cloaked in aloe soap for a close, soothing shave, and the handle comes with a magnetic mount that sticks to the shower wall for easy access that fends off icky rust.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 3 Apr. 2024
As a result, our skin not only felt much softer and smoother from the exfoliation but was also a lot less irritated between shaves.
—Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024
In fact, actor Adam Driver, in makeup and costume as Enzo, sat for his morning shave by the son of the barber who shaved the automaker — in the very same chair.
—Scott Huver, Variety, 20 Dec. 2023
One of the best parts of the razor’s design is the ability to tilt the head in order to rinse out any hairs between shaves.
—Erika Veurink, wsj.com, 27 Dec. 2023
Meanwhile, the three-blade system is made from tough Japanese stainless steel, while its powerful linear motor vibrates and cuts facial hair and stubble seamlessly and quickly for a speedy, close and smooth shave.
—Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Dec. 2023
Verb
The running time of the Westwood print was 139 minutes, shaving 20 to 35 minutes off earlier screenings.
—Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2024
People with beards or hijabs are subject to random harassment, with beards sometimes forcibly shaved in public or hijabs torn off.
—Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Boston College player Rick Kuhn conspired alongside mobsters to shave points off games in 1978 and 1979.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024
Bird shaved his head and went as her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
—Bryan West, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
GoodRx, a prescription drug savings card and app that customers can show at pharmacies nationwide to shave the price off prescription medications, also has a membership program that charges a monthly fee.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024
As noted by Cars Direct, Tesla owners could shave off as much as 24% off.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
The video then offered a step-by-step tutorial of how the mystery man achieved the hairstyle — including having the entire top, middle portion of his scalp shaved so that a fresh toupee could be carefully applied for the dramatic transformation.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
Gavin Newsom, California lawmakers cut $17 billion deal to shave looming state budget deficit, via Lindsey Holden.
—Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 8 Apr. 2024
Noun
This safe and fast shave permits quick movement around the contours of the neck and jawline, where hairs are captured at multiple angles.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 23 Apr. 2024
In Hawaii, shops that serve shave ice, domes of pillowy-soft ice slivers doused in colorful syrups, vie for ubiquity with other local staples like poke places or lei stands.
—Matthew Dekneef, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The style features bald shaves on the sides that gradually fade into a three-blade shave.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 6 Feb. 2024
The five blades are cloaked in aloe soap for a close, soothing shave, and the handle comes with a magnetic mount that sticks to the shower wall for easy access that fends off icky rust.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 3 Apr. 2024
As a result, our skin not only felt much softer and smoother from the exfoliation but was also a lot less irritated between shaves.
—Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024
In fact, actor Adam Driver, in makeup and costume as Enzo, sat for his morning shave by the son of the barber who shaved the automaker — in the very same chair.
—Scott Huver, Variety, 20 Dec. 2023
One of the best parts of the razor’s design is the ability to tilt the head in order to rinse out any hairs between shaves.
—Erika Veurink, wsj.com, 27 Dec. 2023
Meanwhile, the three-blade system is made from tough Japanese stainless steel, while its powerful linear motor vibrates and cuts facial hair and stubble seamlessly and quickly for a speedy, close and smooth shave.
—Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near shave
Cite this Entry
“Shave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shave. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shave
1 of 2 verb
shaved; shaved or shaven
ˈshā-vən
; shaving
; shaving
1
a
: to cut off in thin layers or shreds
b
: to cut off closely
2
a
: to cut the hair from (as the head) close to the roots
b
: to cut off hair or beard close to the skin
3
: to come close to or touch lightly in passing
the tire shaved the curb
shave
2 of 2 noun1
: a tool for shaving or cutting thin slices
2
: an act or process of shaving especially the beard
3
: a narrow escape
a close shave
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share