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shed

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noun

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

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 shed
Verb
This was the first of eight trips the nonprofit would make to deliver sheds. Chelsea Torres, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2025 For everyday operations, there’s a substantial covered tractor barn, plus smaller outbuildings and sheds. David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2025
Noun
Some of the documents could shed light on who visited the island. James Hill, ABC News, 17 July 2025 The whole purpose of the deal for them was to shed salary. Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 17 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for shed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shed
Verb
  • The second looks to obtain cobalt-rich crusts that have accumulated over millions of years on the tops of seamounts between depths of approximately 3,000 and 8,000 feet, by peeling these crusts off from the bedrock.
    Amber X. Chen, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2025
  • In a large bowl, add lemon juice and a couple of peeled and pitted ripe avocados, cut into ½-inch cubes.
    Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 July 2025
Verb
  • Stratton unloaded an array of moves on Stratus, including a suplex that ended with Stratus hitting Stratton’s knees.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2025
  • Gonzalo Fuentes | Reuters Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang unloaded roughly $36.4 million worth of stock in the leading artificial intelligence chipmaker, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
    Samantha Subin, CNBC, 11 July 2025
Noun
  • On the state's southwest coast on June 21, three people suffered minor injuries after lightning struck a tiki hut on the beach, according to the Marco Island Police Department.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 26 June 2025
  • And women peering out of small wooden huts in epic Arctic wildernesses.
    James Rebanks June 26, Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • That means ditching jargon, simplifying the language, and embedding meaningful guidance at every step, not just in financial education courses, but in checkout flows, customer service chats, and everyday social content.
    Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025
  • The easing of these requirements could spell an end to travelers guzzling liquids at checkpoints and ditching items that do not meet the size allowance.
    Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 July 2025
Verb
  • And one recent event included a surprise appearance from two contestants who were recently dumped from the island.
    Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 11 July 2025
  • The bout of storms comes after torrential rainfall Tuesday night dumped nearly 5.5 inches of rain within 90 minutes, prompting reports of flooding in basements and viaducts on the city’s West Side.
    Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2025
Noun
  • A number of cottage industries in makeshift tin shacks have sprung up on a field next to the Levi's factory.
    Kate Bartlett, NPR, 20 July 2025
  • Police say on May 28, a shack on the 1300 block of 107th Avenue was shot up by two people driving a Lexus.
    Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 4 July 2025
Verb
  • The first-stage booster that had been tapped during the original attempts was discarded for a new booster.
    Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 July 2025
  • When the markets washed out in April, these CEFs were discarded by their vanilla dividend owners.
    Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
Verb
  • In just the wild-card era — dating back to the 1995 season — a whopping 10 teams have lost six in a row and gone on to win the World Series.
    Ryan Ford, Freep.com, 22 July 2025
  • The coalition lost its lower house majority in October.
    Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Shed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shed. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.

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