1
a
: a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety
b
: the susceptibility to such emotion
have you no shame?
2
: a condition of humiliating disgrace or disrepute : ignominy
the shame of being arrested
3
a
: something that brings censure or reproach
b
: a cause of feeling shame
shamed; shaming
1
: to bring shame to : disgrace
shamed the family name
2
: to put to shame by outdoing
3
: to cause to feel shame
4
: to force by causing to feel guilty
shamed into confessing
Examples of shame in a Sentence
Noun
He felt shame for his lies.
How could you be so rude? Have you no shame?
Her crimes brought shame upon her family.
He had to endure the shame of being fired.
Verb
He was shamed by his behavior at the party.
shamed the family name with his conviction for embezzlement
Recent Examples on the Web
James Folta, Literary Hub, 27 June 2025
His parents, Polish immigrants who fled German conquest and discrimination, took Indian land—and felt shame over doing so, having been uprooted themselves.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 27 June 2025
Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
While Carpenter has fans eager to see what the next tour stop will bring, others are have shamed her for her performance.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shame
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Their cruelty is wielded without shame or restraint.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 27 June 2025
His parents, Polish immigrants who fled German conquest and discrimination, took Indian land—and felt shame over doing so, having been uprooted themselves.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 27 June 2025
Verb
Morgana clarified that her video wasn't meant to shame dog owners, but to educate what can be done with the right training.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
While Carpenter has fans eager to see what the next tour stop will bring, others are have shamed her for her performance.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shame
Cite this Entry
“Shame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shame. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shame
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a painful emotion caused by having done something wrong or improper
b
: ability to feel shame
have you no shame?
3
: something that brings disgrace or causes shame or strong regret
4
: something to be regretted : pity
it's a shame you'll miss the show
shame
2 of 2 verb
shamed; shaming
1
: to bring shame to : disgrace
2
: to cause to feel shame
3
: to force by causing to feel guilty
they were shamed into confessing
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