Synonyms of shed

shed 1 of 2

verb

ˈshed 

1

as in to peel

to cast (a natural bodily covering or appendage) aside

a snake's skin doesn't grow as the snake does, so every so often the snake will shed its old skin

Synonyms & Similar Words

• peel
• ditch
• discard
• slough
• slip
• molt
• sluff
• exfoliate
• scrap
• unload
• scale
• flake
• jettison
• chuck
• throw away
• throw out
• fling (off or away)
• junk
• shuck (off)

2

as in to unload

to get rid of as useless or unwanted

you need to shed your old notions of propriety and have some fun for a change

Synonyms & Similar Words

• unload
• dump
• ditch
• discard
• lose
• scrap
• abandon
• exorcize
• jettison
• chuck
• remove
• exorcise
• reject
• toss
• throw away
• junk
• set aside
• cast (off)
• eliminate
• slough (off)
• throw out
• lay by
• shuck (off)
• fling (off or away)
• dispose of
• sluff (off)
• deep-six
• dismiss
• forsake
• cashier
• eighty-six
• eradicate
• abdicate
• abolish
• 86
• kick out
• pitch
• desert
• wipe out
• extinguish
• expunge
• exterminate
• extirpate
• annihilate
• liquidate
• stamp (out)
• root (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adopt
• use
• embrace
• take on
• utilize
• employ
• hold
• keep
• retain
• hold back

shed

2 of 2

noun

as in hut

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hut
• shack
• lean-to
• hovel
• cottage
• shanty
• camp
• cabin
• hootch
• cot
• hutch
• hooch
• bungalow
• lodge
• cabana
• tent
• chalet
• hutment
• wigwam
• wickiup
• hogan

Synonym Chooser

How is the word shed different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of shed are cast, discard, junk, scrap, and slough. While all these words mean "to get rid of," shed and slough imply a throwing off of something both useless and encumbering and often suggest a consequent renewal of vitality or luster.

shed a bad habit

finally sloughed off the depression

When would cast be a good substitute for shed?

Although the words cast and shed have much in common, cast, especially when used with off, away, or out, implies a forceful rejection or repudiation.

cast off her friends

When is it sensible to use discard instead of shed?

While the synonyms discard and shed are close in meaning, discard implies the letting go or throwing away of something that has become useless or superfluous though often not intrinsically valueless.

discard old clothes

How do scrap and junk relate to one another, in the sense of shed?

Both scrap and junk imply throwing away or breaking up as worthless in existent form.

scrap all the old ways

would junk our educational system

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shed

Verb

The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield shed nearly 5 basis points to 4.258%, while the 2-year Treasury yield was 3 basis points lower at 3.76%. —Lisa Kailai Han,sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025

In the doc, interviews with Kinkade’s family, including his four daughters and ex-wife, archival home videos and tape recordings, as well as dark paintings from his early career, help to shed light on the man behind the brand. —Addie Morfoot, Variety, 25 Apr. 2025

Noun

Brenda Deal, who wants to sell her house there, learned her garage and shed might be encroaching on the right of way, based on GIS maps. —Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025

The South Lodge, at the base of the Quail chair, burned down in 2016 and in its place sits a row of dilapidated structures and storage sheds. —Megan Michelson, Outside Online, 4 Apr. 2025