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 adjective

Examples of shirt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At the courthouse on Monday, the hallway was filled with people wearing yellow shirts — Emery’s favorite color — emblazoned with her name. —Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Nov. 2025

Its hearty cable knit design plays off the chunky lug soles of Chelsea boots, and its relaxed fit leaves plenty of room to layer over tank tops or long-sleeve shirts. —Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 24 Nov. 2025

Mickey and pals also gave a few drivers some of the new Disney x Formula 1 merchandise, a collection of t-shirts, sweatshirts, and accessories that combine the brands in sporty-chic designs. —Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2025

Saint Périer was wearing dark jeans and a white shirt with raspberry stripes. —Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025

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