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noun \ ˈshī(-ə)r , in place-name compounds ˌshir , shər \

Definition of shire

1 :an administrative subdivision; especially :a county in England

2 :any of an old breed of large heavy draft horses of British origin having heavily feathered legs

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Recent Examples of shire from the Web

Like Frodo, these features are unlikely saviors of the system (or the shire).

— sarah kaplan, Washington Post, "What Frodo the Hobbit can teach scientists about protecting the planet," 10 July 2017
Shire said the U.A.E. military base at Assab consists of an airport and a naval facility.

— nizar manek, Bloomberg.com, "U.A.E. May Fly Warplanes From Somalia as Africa Reach Grows," 24 May 2017
Everything is going so well that the town has reached out to New South Wales, hoping to get something going with the Australian shire of Bland.

— ken jennings, Condé Nast Traveler, "Boring, Oregon and Dull, Scotland: Sister Cities United in Tedium," 17 Apr. 2017
Glen Plaid Originated: In Glenurquhart in Inverness-shire, Scotland, where the checked wool was first used in the 19th century.

— micaela english, Town & Country, "What Your Favorite Plaid Says About You," 14 Nov. 2014

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shire.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of shire

Origin and Etymology of shire

Middle English, from Old English scīr office, shire; akin to Old High German scīra care

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

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Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

Shire

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geographical name Shi·re \ ˈshē-(ˌ)rā , ˈshir-ē \

Definition of Shire

river 250 miles (400 kilometers) long in southern Malawi and central Mozambique flowing from Lake Malawi south into the Zambezi River

SHIRE Defined for English Language Learners

shire

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noun

Definition of shire for English Language Learners

: a county in England
: a type of tall, strong horse used for pulling heavy loads

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See words that rhyme with shire Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shire

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SHIRE Defined for English Language Learners

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