To save this word, you'll need to log in.
sham·poo | \ sham-ˈpü 
\
\shampooed; shampooing; shampoos
Definition of shampoo
(Entry 1 of 2)
2a : to wash (something, such as hair) with soap and water or with a special preparation
b : to wash the hair of
shampoo
noun plural shampoos
Definition of shampoo (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : an act or instance of shampooing
2 : a preparation used in shampooing
Keep scrolling for more
Examples of shampoo in a Sentence
Verb
She shampoos her hair every morning.
We need to shampoo the rug.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb There’s a shot of the two of them together, Mrs. Coulter shampooing Lyra’s hair, and then a shot of Mrs. Coulter alone, staring distractedly into the cooling bath water as her daemon, a golden monkey, looks on with concern.
—
Anna Russell, The New Yorker, "Building the Worlds of His Dark Materials," 3 Dec. 2019 There are just so many things to do in there between hosting concerts, pretending to be a mermaid, and making important life decisions while shampooing and conditioning.
—
Kelly Corbett, House Beautiful, "Make Your Shower Look Super Artsy With This Easy Hack," 22 Nov. 2019 After shampooing hair, follow with a super-hydrating conditioner to moisturize curls, which tend to be drier than straight hair since your hair's natural oils have to travel around coils to get to the end of the hair shaft.
—
Pia Velasco, Good Housekeeping, "How to Use a Diffuser to Get Perfect Curls and Waves Every Time," 30 Sep. 2019 The shop specializes in shampooing and styling hair; no cut or color services are available.
—
Jane Morice | Jmorice@cleveland.com, cleveland, "Video: Ohio’s first Drybar, popular blow-dry styling salon, opens at Legacy Village," 25 Oct. 2019 Not shampooing your hair enough can also cause dandruff due to the build-up of oils and skin cells on the scalp.
—
NBC News, "Best shampoos for dry scalp, according to these dermatologists," 17 Dec. 2018 When combined, these ingredients replenish hair's moisture after some of it is stripped from shampooing.
—
Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, "Experts Explain How Conditioner Benefits Your Hair (and Why You Should Always Use It)," 16 Oct. 2018 The cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing, shampooing, and conditioning are mandatory for keeping everything clean and healthy each day.
—
Adam Hurly, GQ, "The Best Night Cream for Men Will Fix Your Face While You Sleep," 12 Mar. 2018 But all the recent shame surrounding washing your hair too often has gotten me thinking: Is shampooing your hair every day really that bad?
—
Yerin Kim, Seventeen, "This Is How Often You Should Really Be Washing Your Hair," 12 Apr. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The suspect was detained and found to be in possession of shampoo and dog food concealed inside his briefcase.
—
Houston Chronicle, "Bellaire Police Department weekly report," 16 Dec. 2019 Flight Trying to keep the man on the floor, Murphy grabbed a bottle of baby shampoo from her kitchen and squirted it in his face.
—
Georgia Slater, PEOPLE.com, "Bodybuilding Grandma, 82, Beats Up Home Intruder: 'I Really Did a Number on That Man'," 25 Nov. 2019 Her home, too, is filled with value packs of sanitary napkins and stacks of shampoo and mouthwash.
—
Christine Condon, baltimoresun.com, "Committed to helping homeless, Laurel Councilwoman Nicholas to be honored for volunteering," 26 July 2019 In addition to toys, the Secret Santa section sells children’s books, back packs, and gift bags filled with shampoo and lotion.
—
Beth Thames | Bethmthames@gmail.com, al, "Hard-working elves make ‘Secret Santa Shop’ work," 3 Dec. 2019 This year’s festival in October came amid a slowdown in consumer spending that’s hit everyone from carmakers to shampoo sellers.
—
Ari Altstedter, Fortune, "Amazon and Walmart Thought India Would Be Their Next Giant Market. India’s Shopkeepers Would Like to Disagree," 2 Dec. 2019 There, customers can fill reusable containers with shampoo, soap, and other household items.
—
Alex Demarban, Anchorage Daily News, "Anchorage women, united by passion for reducing plastic waste, open bulk-goods ‘refillery’ store," 3 Nov. 2019 Malaysia produces 30% of the global supply of palm oil, a versatile and cheap vegetable oil used in many foodstuffs as well as consumer products like shampoo.
—
Jack Guy, CNN, "Rat-eating macaques could boost palm oil sustainability in Malaysia," 22 Oct. 2019 The best part of any haircut experience – the shampoo station – is tucked away with lounge seats and relaxing washtubs.
—
orlandosentinel.com, "2019 Orlando Sentinel Best Bets: Beauty & Wellness winners," 6 Oct. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shampoo.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for shampoo
shampoo
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of shampoo
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to clean (something, such as hair, a carpet, etc.) with shampoo
shampoo
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of shampoo (Entry 2 of 2)
: a special liquid that is used for cleaning your hair
: a special liquid used for cleaning rugs, carpets, etc.
: an act of cleaning hair, a carpet, etc., with shampoo
See the full definition for shampoo in the English Language Learners Dictionary
shampoo
nounsham·poo | \ sham-ˈpü \
\ plural shampoos
Kids Definition of shampoo
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a cleaner made for washing the hair
2 : an act of washing the hair
shampoo
verbsham·poo
shampooed; shampooing
Kids Definition of shampoo (Entry 2 of 2)
: to wash the hair and scalp
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on shampoo
What made you want to look up shampoo? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Intact Latin Quiz
- What did focus mean in Latin?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
- Intact Latin Quiz
What did each of these words mean to ancient Romans?
Take the quiz - The Eponym Quiz
Do you know these words that come from names?
Take the quiz - Spell It
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
Take the quiz - Dictionary Devil
The dictionary has been scrambled—can you put it back together?
Play the game
Share shampoo
Time Traveler for shampoo
The first known use of shampoo was in 1762
See more words from the same year