shed 1 of 2

verb

ˈshed How to pronounce shed (audio)
Definition of shednext
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

Relevance
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shed

2 of 2

noun

as in hut

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
Keysight Technologies — The commercial electronics stock shed 0.2% after results for the fiscal second quarter topped expectations. —Alex Harring, CNBC, 21 May 2025 Brent crude, the international standard, shed 36 cents to $65.18 per barrel. —Matt Ott, Chicago Tribune, 20 May 2025
Noun
Suncast Resin Vertical Tool Shed $623 $346 at Wayfair Unlike other outdoor storage solutions that are made of clunky wood or metal, this shed is an aesthetically pleasing alternative that won’t be an eyesore. —Ali Faccenda, People.com, 29 Apr. 2025 While moving the shed and excavating the ground beneath it April 9, authorities found human remains buried under the building that were partially encased in concrete. —Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shed
  1. peel
  2. unload
  3. hut
  4. ditch
  5. dump
  6. shack
  7. discard
  8. lose
Verb
  • In addition to peeling skin, acral peeling skin syndrome has other symptoms.
    — Kelly Burch Published, Verywell Health, 22 May 2025
  • Or peel away and head just down the petite staircase to Le Terrazze, the indoor/outdoor on-site restaurant where chef Alessandro Fiacco churns out his culinary art.
    — Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 21 May 2025
Definition of peel
Verb
  • Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Aid groups are unloading food and other critical supplies in the Gaza Strip, after a monthslong blockade that has put children at risk of famine.
    — Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 23 May 2025
  • Once Devon can unload caretaking duties for Bruce (their father), Simone says life is going to get really good for her.
    — Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 22 May 2025
Definition of unload
Noun
  • While there are several accommodations in the national park, traditional lodgings here were bare-bones mountain huts intentionally designed for discomfort for religious reasons.
    — Olivia Young, AFAR Media, 20 May 2025
  • Along with these items, Caribbean hut also offers vegetarian options like curry tofu and a veggie platter.
    — Mari Pressley, Charlotte Observer, 8 May 2025
Definition of hut
Verb
  • Plus, people are ditching their pay-TV packages for cheaper streaming options and further chipping away at the cable companies’ once-lucrative bottom lines.
    — Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
  • Finally, ditch the return-to-office mandates and try piloting schedules that are outside of the traditional 9-5, 5 days a week.
    — Lindsay Kohler, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Definition of ditch
Verb
  • Mathis then described a scenario involving her daughter, who had developed a habit of dumping her food on the floor and throwing her plate when finished.
    — Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025
  • Followers can feel like a kind of currency, built up over years: Some people don’t leave the bar, because they’re invested and don’t want to dump their shares.
    — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 23 May 2025
Definition of dump
Noun
  • Mark Peters, a 72-year-old retired electrician in Hamilton, Ohio, with whom Rogers lived with briefly, was found dead in a shack owned by Rogers' family in January 1994 in Beattyville, Kentucky.
    — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 16 May 2025
  • Back in the shack, the local barflies have cottoned on to the Ronaldo news.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 15 May 2025
Definition of shack
Verb
  • The first-stage booster that had been tapped during the original attempts was discarded for a new booster.
    — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 May 2025
  • Disposable paper dresses enjoyed a brief vogue in the turbulent late 1960s, when young people literally wore their politics and interests on their sleeves—but were prepared to discard them as easily as a piece of Kleenex.
    — Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 May 2025
Definition of discard
Verb
  • The University of San Diego and San Diego State both lost Thursday to drop into the losers’ brackets of their respective double-elimination conference baseball tournaments.
    — Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2025
  • Andrew Marchand writes that the show lost its way in recent years, but that won’t change its place in my heart.
    — Chris Branch, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Definition of lose

Browse Nearby Words

sheaves
shed
shedding
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shed. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on shed

Nglish: Translation of shed for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

'Bring' vs. 'Take'

Is it 'used to' or 'use to'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

10 Hella Good U.S. Regionalisms

The Clinical History of 'Moron,' 'Idiot,' and 'Imbecile'

And So It Begins: 9 Words for Beginnings
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All