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

Inside, the crowd was impassioned but courteous; even the river guides had tucked in their shirts. —Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 14 May 2026

In a world of Tiger Onitsuka trainers and tech-bro t-shirts, central bankers wear a suit and tie. —Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 14 May 2026

That’s why the same liquid that lifts grease from a T-shirt can also tackle grout, makeup brushes, patio furniture and a lot more. —Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026

The goal isn’t to turn you into a professional athlete or prepare you to rip your shirt off in the next Marvel movie. —Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 14 May 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