shave

[ sheyv ]

verb (used without object)

, shaved, shaved or (especially in combination) shav·en, shav·ing.

1. to remove a growth of beard with a razor.

verb (used with object)

, shaved, shaved or (especially in combination) shav·en, shav·ing.

1. to remove hair from (the face, legs, etc.) by cutting it off close to the skin with a razor.
2. to cut off (hair, especially the beard) close to the skin with a razor (often followed by off or away ).
3. to cut or scrape away the surface of with a sharp-edged tool:

   to shave hides in preparing leather.

4. to reduce to shavings or thin slices:

   to shave wood.

5. to cut or trim closely:

   to shave a lawn.

6. to scrape, graze, or come very near to:

   The car just shaved the garage door.

   Synonyms: touch, glance, brush

7. Commerce. to purchase (a note) at a rate of discount greater than is legal or customary.
8. to reduce or deduct from:

   The store shaved the price of winter suits in the spring.

noun

1. the act, process, or an instance of shaving or being shaved.
2. a thin slice; a shaving.
3. any of various tools for shaving, scraping, removing thin slices, etc.

shave

/ ʃeɪv /

verb

1. also intr to remove (the beard, hair, etc) from (the face, head, or body) by scraping the skin with a razor
2. to cut or trim very closely
3. to reduce to shavings
4. to remove thin slices from (wood, etc) with a sharp cutting tool; plane or pare
5. to touch or graze in passing
6. informal.
   to reduce (a price) by a slight amount
7. commerce to purchase (a commercial paper) at a greater rate of discount than is customary or legal

noun

1. the act or an instance of shaving
2. any tool for scraping
3. a thin slice or shaving
4. an instance of barely touching something
5. close shave informal.
   a narrow escape

Derived Forms

• ˈshavable, adjective

Other Words From

• shava·ble shavea·ble adjective
• re·shave verb reshaved reshaving
• un·shava·ble adjective
• un·shavea·ble adjective
• un·shaved adjective
• well-shaved adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shave¹

before 900; (v.) Middle English schaven, schafen, Old English sc ( e ) afan; cognate with Dutch schaven to plane (a plank), abrade (the skin), Low German schaven, German schaben, Old Norse skafa to scrape, Gothic skaban to shear, shave; (noun) Middle English schave tool for shaving, Old English sc ( e ) afa, derivative of the v.

Word History and Origins

Origin of shave¹

Old English sceafan; related to Old Norse skafa, Gothic skaban to shave, Latin scabere to scrape

Idioms and Phrases

see close call (shave) .

Example Sentences

“Well Charlotte didn’t like it the first time. I got floods of tears, so I had to shave it off. And then I grew it back. I thought, hang on a second, and I convinced her it was going to be okay.”

From BBC

For now, many analysts still expect the Fed to shave another quarter percentage point from its main interest rate at its next meeting in December, but since Trump’s sweeping victory, odds have increased that Fed officials will pause next month or early next year as they wait to see what a second Trump administration might mean for fiscal policies and the economy.

From Los Angeles Times

On alcohol duties, she said that, from February 2025, there would be a 1.7% reduction in draught beer duty, to shave "a penny off a pint in the pub".

From BBC

“They had someone come and shave me, like my whole body, because that’s how they like the boys.”

From BBC

One emotional scene sees Tobias and their daughter help to shave Almut's head - which was Pugh's real-life hair.

From BBC

Related Words

• brush
• cut down
• kiss
• pare
• prune
• shear
• shred
• skim
• slash
• trim