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

Denim shirts were slim and distressed with markings and patchwork. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 9 July 2026

This breezy shirt dress is made for vacation days thanks to its drapey fabric, loose short sleeves, and easy collar. — Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 8 July 2026

Reuters photographer and Pulitzer Prize finalist Cheney Orr snapped the image showing a woman in a green shirt, later identified as 33-year-old Bernita Bowlding, facing the camera while seated on the train. — Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 8 July 2026

But defaulting to something physical, even something as mundane as folding a shirt, leaves me feeling more restored (and productive) than a 15-minute scroll session ever did. — Allison Palmer july 8, Kansas City Star, 8 July 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