shampoo

verb sham·poo \ sham-ˈpü \

|Updated on: 18 Aug 2018

Examples: shampoo in a Sentence

Definition of shampoo

shampooed; shampooing; shampoos

transitive verb

1 archaic : massage

2 a : to wash (something, such as hair) with soap and water or with a special preparation

b : to wash the hair of

—

shampooer

noun

See shampoo defined for English-language learners

See shampoo defined for kids

Examples of shampoo in a Sentence

She shampoos her hair every morning.
We need to shampoo the rug.

Recent Examples of shampoo from the Web

Instead, condition daily, both after shampooing and on the in-between days.

— adam hurly, GQ, "How to Get Beach Hair If You're Not at the Beach," 19 June 2018
Leave it on for thee minutes after shampooing for a lightweight conditioner your hair will soak right up.

— allison young, Sunset, "11 Best Biodegradable Beauty Products," 22 Jan. 2018
Some experts also recommend shampooing less frequently to preserve the hair's natural oils, but if this lady's testimonial was a bit extreme-sounding, try using the dry stuff or a gentle cleansing conditioner in between washes.

— chelsea peng, Marie Claire, "The Complete Guide to Growing Out Your Hair," 16 Apr. 2015
Which is exactly what happens to my bleached-blonde hair after a week of daily shampooing.

— emily rekstis, SELF, "5 Shampoos for People Who Actually Have to Wash Their Hair Every Day," 6 Apr. 2018
Just smooth it over clean, damp hair for 10 minutes once a week, then rinse out and shampoo and condition as usual.

— alex warner, Marie Claire, "Drew Barrymore Swears This $28 Hair Product Fixed Her Damaged, Dyed Hair," 24 May 2018
Not shampooing your hair every day may lessen the amount of skin rashes, or a therapeutic oil cream can also do wonders.

— mona gohara, Good Housekeeping, "7 Common Scalp Issues — And How to Treat Them," 13 Mar. 2018
And for those who shampoo in the morning, that means sacrificing precious sleep time to blow-dry.

— zoë weiner, Teen Vogue, "6 Ways to Blow-Dry Your Hair Faster," 12 Mar. 2018
Clients should only be shampooing once or twice a week.

— rebecca norris, Allure, "Berry Sorbet Hair Is a Bolder Take on Pink," 12 Mar. 2018

These 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.

Origin and Etymology of shampoo

Hindi & Urdu cā̃po, imperative of cā̃pnā to press, massage

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1762

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Fashion Terms

bodkin, chignon, cowlick, eau de toilette, imperial, pocket, pomander, tonsorial

shampoo

noun

Definition of shampoo

plural shampoos

1 : an act or instance of shampooing

2 : a preparation used in shampooing

See shampoo defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of shampoo from the Web

Inspired by everyday athletes, hairstylist Rossano Ferretti just launched the mineral-rich Vivace Every Day, a hair-and-body shampoo that’s a gym-bag no-brainer.

— lauren valenti, Vogue, "6 Athleisure Beauty Products to Stash In Your Gym Bag This Summer," 26 June 2018
The packages included items such as soap, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, baby wipes, hairbrushes and feminine pads.

— corlyn voorhees, OregonLive.com, "Gresham-area students win funds for food pantry, computers in community service competition," 5 June 2018
Thankfully, the Pilates ProWorks studio has showers available, stocked with shampoo, conditioner, body wash, razors—yes, razors—and hair styling tools at your disposal.

— shelbie lynn bostedt, RedEye Chicago, "Get moving: Let your muscles shake at Pilates ProWorks," 31 May 2017
Try: Curls Essentials Sample Kit, $22 to $25, with curl-boosting shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer, and styler.

— Redbook, "How to Get Fierce (Not Frizzy) Curls," 10 May 2011
Small white plastic pellets and tattered bottle caps and shampoo caps can be seen on several of the shores and floating in the water.

— rick kambic, chicagotribune.com, "Libertyville pond to be cleaned, waterways inspected after spill at industrial park," 13 July 2018
One of my favorite things about checking into a hotel is trying out the little shower gels and shampoos from luxury brands that are so carefully arranged for me.

— sylvia longmire, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Final straw for wheelchair users: BYOS or you’re out of luck," 10 July 2018
Johnson makes her own makeup, lip balm, blush (from cocoa powder), mascara and shampoo.

— victoria adams fogg, Washington Post, "She cut her weekly trash down so much it fits in an unbelievably small jar," 7 July 2018
As part of this partnership, OUAI with donate 15 percent of proceeds from pet shampoo sales to the Vanderpump Dog Foundation.

— kelli bender, PEOPLE.com, "Now Your Pets Can Use the Same Shampoo as the Kardashians," 6 July 2018

First Known Use of shampoo

1838

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Fashion Terms

bodkin, chignon, cowlick, eau de toilette, imperial, pocket, pomander, tonsorial

SHAMPOO Defined for English Language Learners

shampoo

verb

Definition of shampoo for English Language Learners

: to clean (something, such as hair, a carpet, etc.) with shampoo

shampoo

noun

Definition of shampoo for English Language Learners

: 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

SHAMPOO Defined for Kids

shampoo

noun sham·poo \ sham-ˈpü \

Definition of shampoo for Students

plural shampoos

1 : a cleaner made for washing the hair

2 : an act of washing the hair

History for shampoo

Vigorous hair-washing was not something people engaged in too frequently 150 or so years ago, at least in America and Britain, so it is not too surprising that the word shampoo in its current meaning is only about that old. The earlier meaning of shampoo was “massage.” The word (as well as the practice of massaging) became familiar to English people when they traveled to India in the 1600s and 1700s. Shampoo is probably borrowed from a word in Hindi, a major language of India: cāmpō, the command form of cāmpnā, “to press, squeeze.”