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\ ˈshāv 
\
\shaved; shaved or shaven\ ˈshā-vən \; shaving
\; shavingDefinition of shave
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : to remove a thin layer from
b : to cut off in thin layers or shreds : slice
c : to cut off closely
2a : 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
3a : to discount (a note) at an exorbitant rate
c : to conspire to score fewer (points) than one is capable of (as to affect gambling outcomes)
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
shave
nounDefinition of shave (Entry 2 of 2)
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb In January Chicago shaved $310 million off this year’s deficit by issuing another $1 billion in sales-tax bonds to refinance outstanding GO bonds.
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The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Chicago’s Puerto Rican Bonds," 31 Jan. 2020 In a 32-second video, Schmegelsky says the pair have shaven in preparation for their death.
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NBC News, "Fugitives in Canada manhunt confessed to 3 murders before killing themselves, authorities say," 28 Sep. 2019 At home, Brissette waited for everyone to leave, and then dry shaved their legs in the living room.
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oregonlive, "These parents don’t want their kid to be labeled boy or girl until child is old enough to decide on own," 28 Sep. 2019 In a 32-second video, Schmegelsky says the pair have shaven in preparation for their death.
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Jim Morris, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Canada police: 2 fugitives talked about killing on videos," 27 Sep. 2019 At home, Brissette waited for everyone to leave, and then dry shaved their legs in the living room.
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Los Angeles Times, "These L.A. parents don’t want to assign a gender to their baby, so the government did it for them," 25 Sep. 2019 Adrian raced Lola to the vet and came back with her shaved in patches, armed with pain meds and antibiotics.
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Katie Gutierrez, Longreads, "How to Predict the Unpredictable," 24 Sep. 2019 Female lawmakers Park In-sook of the LKP and independent Lee Un-ju also shaved their heads in past weeks calling for Cho's dismissal.
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Fox News, "South Korean opposition shave their heads in protest over justice minister," 17 Sep. 2019 The actress, 44, won an Oscar for her unrecognizable performance as a serial killer in 2003’s Monster, shaved her head in 2012 for Mad Max: Fury Road and gained 50 pounds for 2018’s Tully, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination.
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Ale Russian, PEOPLE.com, "Nicole Kidman Says Meryl Streep Convinced Her to Play Gretchen Carlson in Bombshell," 5 Sep. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Edgewell is the second-largest razor manufacturer in the U.S., with its other brands including sunscreen Banana Boat and women's shave cream Skintimate.
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Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, "Schick owner ends $1.4 billion bid to buy competitor Harry's," 10 Feb. 2020 For the sensitive-skinned, Jack Black Beard Conditioning Shave is a 3-in-1 product—preshave oil, shave cream, and skin conditioner.
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Billy Cadden, Popular Science, "What to buy for a better shave," 28 Mar. 2019 The vintage-vibe salon, with six chairs plus one just for shaves, offers everything from cuts and beard trims to eyebrow waxing and scalp massages.
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Ellen Piligian, Detroit Free Press, "Hair salons can't get enough of southeast Oakland County. Here's why.," 15 Jan. 2020 Everything the man in your life needs to shave, soften and smooth his skin — for the perfect shave from start to finish.
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Jessica Migala, NBC News, "18 last-minute gift ideas for anyone left on your holiday list," 16 Dec. 2019 And get a proper English shave, as on 'Downton Abbey,' with a new themed men's razor line.
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Lindsay Weinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, "Partners in Design: Zoe Kravitz's YSL Lipstick, Reese Witherspoon's Tailgate Decor," 22 Aug. 2019 Or be bold shave it all off into a buzzcut (these women did).
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Glamour, "The Coolest Haircuts for Summer 2019," 31 May 2019 Poppy joins three other recent openings on Roosevelt Row: Commander Hamburger, a comic-themed burger and salad joint in The Churchill; The Fresh Shave, a Hawaiian shave ice shop; and Theodore, a craft beer bar.
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Priscilla Totiyapungprasert, azcentral, "What we know about Poppy, the new restaurant at the Cambria Hotel in downtown Phoenix," 13 Nov. 2019 The women played in long gowns of various colors, and the hairstyles onstage included neatly trimmed natural hair, an immaculate side shave, locs, and elaborate braids.
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BostonGlobe.com, "Sphinx Virtuosi play in living color at Gardner Museum - The Boston Globe," 15 Oct. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shave.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for shave
shave
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of shave
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to cut the hair, wool, etc., off (someone or something) very close to the skin
: to cut off (hair, wool, a beard, etc.) very close to the skin
: to remove a thin layer of (something) from something
shave
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of shave (Entry 2 of 2)
: an act of shaving
See the full definition for shave in the English Language Learners Dictionary
shave
verb\ ˈshāv \
\shaved; shaved or shaven\ ˈshā-vən \; shaving
Kids Definition of shave
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : to cut or trim off a thin layer of (as with a sharp blade)
I shaved the wood from the tip of the pencil.
2 : to cut off very close to the skin
He shaved the hair from his head.
3 : to make bare or smooth by cutting the hair from
He shaved his face.
shave
nounKids Definition of shave (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : an act of making bare or smooth by cutting the hair from
2 : a narrow escape
a close shave
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Time Traveler for shave
The first known use of shave was before the 12th century
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