1
a
: 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
3
a
: something that brings censure or reproach
b
: a cause of feeling shame
shamed; shaming
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
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
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
The English- and Dari/Farsi-language film, produced by Joaquin Cardoner, centers on Hamed, a first-generation Afghan Canadian man taking steps to establish his own identity amid fear, desire and shame while living in his father’s shadow.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Dec. 2025
Dr. Mona Amin, CNBC, 5 Dec. 2025
In 2015, Sellers famously shamed then-Mayor Michael Hancock when the city failed to buy a 60-year service lapel pin and instead gave her a 15-year pin as a placeholder.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shame
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The essential shame of this A Christmas Carol is that, in attempting to make it what might generously be called more personal, Thorne has in fact rendered the story more conservative.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
The English- and Dari/Farsi-language film, produced by Joaquin Cardoner, centers on Hamed, a first-generation Afghan Canadian man taking steps to establish his own identity amid fear, desire and shame while living in his father’s shadow.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Dec. 2025
Verb
Some of these truths might sting a little, but they’re not meant to shame.
—Dr. Mona Amin, CNBC, 5 Dec. 2025
In 2015, Sellers famously shamed then-Mayor Michael Hancock when the city failed to buy a 60-year service lapel pin and instead gave her a 15-year pin as a placeholder.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shame
Cite this Entry
“Shame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shame. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shame
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a painful emotion caused by having done something wrong or improper
b
: ability to feel shame
have you no shame?
3
: something that brings disgrace or causes shame or strong regret
4
: something to be regretted : pity
it's a shame you'll miss the show
shame
2 of 2 verb
shamed; shaming
1
: to bring shame to : disgrace
2
: to cause to feel shame
3
: to force by causing to feel guilty
they were shamed into confessing
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