variants or less commonly sheath
sheathed; sheathing

transitive verb

1
: to put into or furnish with a sheath
2
: to plunge or bury (a weapon, such as a sword) in flesh
3
: to withdraw (a claw) into a sheath
4
: to case or cover with something (such as sheets of metal) that protects
sheather noun

Examples of sheathe in a Sentence

sometimes shipbuilders sheathe a ship's bottom with copper for extra protection from barnacles and other threats
Recent Examples on the Web All four were found with their iron blades still sheathed in their wooden scabbards, boasting handles made with wood or metal. Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2023 In Beverly Hills and Pico-Rivera, oil derricks were sheathed by decorative towers. Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2023 Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 13 Black Bedroom The primary bedroom of Alisa Bloom’s 1920s Chicago penthouse features walls sheathed in a Holland & Sherry fabric. Anna Fixsen, ELLE Decor, 15 Aug. 2023 Lest the viewer wonder whether any of these women has been plagued by the financial turbulence that has unsettled the world in the past two decades, Charlotte is toting an Oscar de la Renta garment bag, sheathing a new dress for her teen-age daughter to wear to a piano recital. Carrie Battan, The New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2023 In 2019, the family visited Greenland and was intrigued by the glaciers that sheathed into icebergs. John Branch, BostonGlobe.com, 2 July 2023 When the timbered framework and lead sheathing nears completion, at the end of this year, the statues will be put back. Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2023 That equipment tends to be exposed, placed in the open, whereas the vast turbine halls of power plants, sheathed by a casing of concrete and steel, present a harder target. Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023 New York designer Rodney Lawrence recently sheathed the room of an Upper East Side firstborn in a silver-leaf de Gournay wallcovering bursting with mauve, pale lavender, and plum cherry blossoms. ELLE Decor, 1 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sheathe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English shethen, derivative of shethe sheath

Note: Middle English Dictionary cites Old English unscēaþian, but the source for this word is not established.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sheathe was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near sheathe

Cite this Entry

“Sheathe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sheathe. Accessed 21 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

sheathe

verb
sheathed; sheathing
1
: to put into a sheath
sheathe your sword
2
: to cover with something that protects
sheathe a ship's bottom with copper
sheather noun

More from Merriam-Webster on sheathe

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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