shame

noun

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\ ˈshām

Definition of shame

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety

b : the susceptibility to such emotion have you no shame?

2 : a condition of humiliating disgrace or disrepute : ignominy the shame of being arrested

3a : something that brings censure or reproach also : something to be regretted : pity it's a shame you can't go

b : a cause of feeling shame

shame

verb

shamed; shaming

Definition of shame (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to bring shame to : disgrace shamed the family name

2 : to put to shame by outdoing

3 : to cause to feel shame

4 : to force by causing to feel guilty shamed into confessing

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about shame

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Examples of shame in a Sentence

Noun He felt shame for his lies. How could you be so rude? Have you no shame? Her crimes brought shame upon her family. He had to endure the shame of being fired. Verb He was shamed by his behavior at the party. shamed the family name with his conviction for embezzlement

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Since then, high-level officials have publicly conceded their bewilderment about U.A.P. without shame or apology. — Gideon Lewis-kraus, The New Yorker, "How the Pentagon Started Taking U.F.O.s Seriously," 30 Apr. 2021 Experts say one of the best ways to prevent this kind of fraud is for people to come forward, but most victims are overcome with shame, blaming themselves rather than the criminals, and remain silent. — New York Times, "MacKenzie Scott Gave Away Billions. The Scam Artists Followed.," 24 Apr. 2021 Allow yourself time to process your feelings without shame or embarrassment. — Lauren Levine Corriher, Southern Living, "How Long After the Loss of a Pet Should You Wait Before Adopting Again?," 5 Apr. 2021 Growing up on food stamps—now known as SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—was a deep source of shame and anxiety for me. — SELF, "There’s Still So Much Stigma About SNAP. Here’s What Needs to Change," 2 Apr. 2021 This should be a source of shame and motivation for change. — BostonGlobe.com, "The costs of a secretive ‘wealth defense industry’ of shell companies, offshore tax havens, and empty luxury condos," 1 Apr. 2021 First of all, shame on him for peddling this nonsense in the midst of a global pandemic, with all of us desperate to put the public health crisis of the past year finally behind us. — Mike Wehner, BGR, "Time-traveling TikTok user says he’s returned from the future with terrible news," 30 Mar. 2021 If this latest relief measure is the best our government leaders can muster in the face of the most dire national emergency since the Great Depression, shame on them. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, "Column: The COVID relief bill isn’t nearly big enough," 21 Dec. 2020 Her family’s return to the outside world and Texas was clouded by unvoiced shame and confusion. — Washington Post, "Raised in a cult, Lauren Hough’s salvation was the discovery of her own inimitable voice," 17 Apr. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Police critics routinely put images of cops who aren’t wearing masks on social media to shame them. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, "Half of LAPD personnel have gotten at least one COVID-19 shot," 21 Apr. 2021 Early in the pandemic, one local police force used drones to shame a couple walking a dog on a lonely path. — New York Times, "As Europe’s Lockdowns Drag On, Police and Protesters Clash," 23 Mar. 2021 My only advice is to be careful not to shame the children who are behaving badly, and your suggestion to ignore the rude behavior sounds perfect. — Annie Lane, oregonlive, "Dear Annie: Wise reader weighs in on encouraging well-behaved children," 14 Apr. 2021 Ruth repeatedly declares that Bea has made a wonderful meal, in a fruitless attempt to shame Catherine into eating it. — Sean T. Collins, Vulture, "Clarice Recap: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?," 1 Apr. 2021 Oregon center Sedona Prince used a social media video to shame the NCAA into improving the woefully inadequate training facilities for teams at the women’s tournament. — The Salt Lake Tribune, "Utahn Hunter Woodhall was the ideal college athlete. So why did he quit?," 30 Mar. 2021 That purpose is simple: to shame Black people and justify their oppression. — Los Angeles Times, "Steph Cha: The Atlanta shooting is another reminder the cops are not our friends," 18 Mar. 2021 If the region did not impose a mask order, the state advisers told Mr. Elliot, the governor’s office would publicly shame him as being responsible for the case numbers. — New York Times, "One Year, 400,000 Coronavirus Deaths: How the U.S. Guaranteed Its Own Failure," 17 Jan. 2021 After all, most of us are so used to having doctors judge and shame us for our weight that the concept of it entitling me to something beneficial feels entirely unfamiliar. — Emma Specter, Vogue, "Millions Of Americans Qualify For the COVID-19 Vaccine Based On BMI. Why Should We Apologize For It?," 23 Feb. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shame.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.