shirt

noun

ˈshərt 

1

: a garment for the upper part of the body: such as

a

: a cloth garment usually having a collar, sleeves, a front opening, and a tail long enough to be tucked inside trousers or a skirt

b

: undershirt

2

: all or a large part of one's money or resources

lost his shirt on that business deal

shirtless

ˈshərt-ləs 

adjective

shirtlessness noun

shirtlike

ˈshərt-ˌlīk 

adjective

Examples of shirt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In another instance, investigators identified a gray button on a test-taker's shirt as a concealed camera. — Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 25 June 2026

She was last seen wearing a black shirt and shorts, police said. — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2026

This all-cotton option has a flattering fit-and-flare silhouette that gives my 5-foot-3 frame some shape, not to mention pretty feminine details like ruffled cap sleeves, a pleated shirt front, and buttons running the length of the dress. — Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 25 June 2026

Your father strides into the dining room, harried, shiny black hair parted to one side, his fingers buttoning the cuffs of his starched white collared shirt. — Literary Hub, 25 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English shirte, from Old English scyrte; akin to Old Norse skyrta shirt, Old English scort short

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing shirt

• aloha shirt
• bloody shirt
• body shirt
• bush shirt
• camp shirt
• dress shirt
• give (someone) the shirt off one's back
• hair shirt
• Hawaiian shirt
• henley shirt
• keep your shirt on
• lose one's shirt
• lumberjack shirt
• muscle shirt
• polo shirt
• put one's shirt on
• ringer T-shirt
• shirt jacket
• sport shirt
• sports shirt
• stuffed shirt
• tee shirt
• T-shirt

Rhymes for shirt

• blurt
• chert
• curt
• dirt
• flirt
• girt
• hurt
• peart
• pert
• skirt
• spurt
• squirt

Kids Definition

shirt

noun

ˈshərt 

1

: a garment for the upper part of the body usually with a collar, sleeves, a front opening, and a tail long enough to be tucked inside pants or a skirt

2

: undershirt