shade 1 of 2

noun

ˈshād How to pronounce shade (audio)
Definition of shadenext
1
as in shadow
partial darkness due to the obstruction of light rays it was hard to see in the shade after being in the brilliant sunlight the trees cast shade

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2
as in shadows
a time or place of little or no light enjoying the cool shade of the evening

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3
as in hue
a property that becomes apparent when light falls on an object and by which things that are identical in form can be distinguished a lovely shade of blue

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4
as in splash
a very small amount just a shade taller than his dance partner

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5
as in apparition
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people spirits and shades haunting the night

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shade

2 of 2

verb

as in to protect
to shelter (something) from light and heat the trees shaded us quite nicely from the noonday sun

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shade
Noun
Some shades were too bright pink, while others were too drab. — Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026 Grab the pants in a classic blue wash, white à la Stewart, or in a brown shade inspired by Middleton’s version. — Annie Blackman, InStyle, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
Researchers have also studied whether floating solar can help reduce evaporation by shading portions of the water surface. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026 Will the deep hollows be moist with mosses, shaded by red spruce and hemlock? — Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shade
  1. shadow
  2. shadows
  3. hue
  4. splash
  5. apparition
  6. protect
  7. dusk
  8. dark
Noun
  • Using sine wave generators and pink lighting so saturated it essentially blots out all other color and shadow, Young and Zazeela created a space that’s somehow both static and full of life.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The duration of totality is a function of the diameter of the moon's shadow.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of shadow
Noun
  • Films can end up looking too bright or too clean, revealing details in the shadows that Kubrick never intended audiences to see.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The man’s collarbones no longer cast deep shadows at the base of his neck, Shawn noticed.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of shadows
Noun
  • The filament bulb’s lurid orange-yellow was different — not less orange or yellow, but somehow also whiter, richer, rounder, as if Sorolla had worked in some of his cadmium hues.
    — Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
  • These pumps were finished in satin shades ranging from jewel tones to more neutral hues.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of hue
Noun
  • The first mega-splash came over the summer, with the $20 million-a-year agreement between Monster Energy and college sports’ Big 12 Conference (which includes the caffeine-avoidant Brigham Young University).
    — Kent Sepkowitz, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The company has also parted ways with Marriage Story writer-director Noah Baumbach, whose other Netflix projects, like White Noise and Jay Kelly, failed to make much of a splash.
    — Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of splash
Noun
  • For evening observers, this apparition has been more frustrating than triumphant, with Venus lingering low in the glow of twilight instead of climbing into a commanding position.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • One minute, the stubble field in front of his stand had been empty, and then suddenly, like an apparition, a whitetail buck had appeared.
    — Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of apparition
Verb
  • But data, though personal and medical in nature, is not covered by HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which protects personal electronic health data in other contexts.
    — Sparkle Rainey Tribune News Service, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • These women pressured local judges and sheriffs, and would actively show up to courthouses, protecting potential lynching victims with thier own bodies.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of protect
Noun
  • Effigies of Ravana—often along with those of Ravana’s son Meghanada (also known as Indrajit) and Ravana’s brother Kumbhakarna—are stuffed with firecrackers and set ablaze at dusk in open fields.
    — Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Shawn and his father found the man on the easternmost coast of their island shortly after dusk, when the sky was drained of almost all its orange light and the waves had grown dark, topped with an eerie froth.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of dusk
Noun
  • One of the best things to come from the recent renovation was Notch8, the new lobby-level bar and restaurant, which serves excellent drinks in a dark, loungey atmosphere.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Look east and southeast after dark for the Great Square of Pegasus — four moderately bright stars (Scheat, Alpheratz, Markab and Algenib) outlining an enormous square.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of dark

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shaded
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Cite this Entry

“Shade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shade. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on shade

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shade

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