sheet

¹ American  

[sheet] / ʃit /

noun

1. a large rectangular piece of cotton, linen, or other material used as an article of bedding, commonly spread in pairs so that one is immediately above and the other immediately below the sleeper.

2. a broad, relatively thin, surface, layer, or covering.

3. a relatively thin, usually rectangular form, piece, plate, or slab, as of photographic film, glass, metal, etc.

4. material, as metal or glass, in the form of broad, relatively thin pieces.

5. a sail, as on a ship or boat.

6. a rectangular piece of paper or parchment, especially one on which to write.

7. a newspaper or periodical.

8. Printing and Bookbinding. a large, rectangular piece of printing paper, especially one for printing a complete signature.

9. Philately. the impression from a plate or the like on a single sheet of paper before any division of the paper into individual stamps.

10. an extent, stretch, or expanse, as of fire or water.

    sheets of flame.

11. a thin, flat piece of metal or a very shallow pan on which to place food while baking.

12. Geology. a more or less horizontal mass of rock, especially volcanic rock intruded between strata or poured out over a surface.

13. Mathematics.

    1. one of the separate pieces making up a geometrical surface.

       a hyperboloid of two sheets.

    2. one of the planes or pieces of planes making up a Riemann surface.

14. Crystallography. a type of crystal structure, as in mica, in which certain atoms unite strongly in two dimensions to form a layer that is weakly joined to others.

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verb (used with object)

1. to furnish with a sheet or sheets.

2. to wrap in a sheet.

3. to cover with a sheet or layer of something.

sheet ² American  

[sheet] / ʃit /

noun

1. Nautical.

   1. a rope or chain for extending the clews of a square sail along a yard.

   2. a rope for trimming a fore-and-aft sail.

   3. a rope or chain for extending the lee clew of a course.

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verb (used with object)

1. Nautical. to trim, extend, or secure by means of a sheet or sheets.

idioms

1. three sheets in / to the wind, intoxicated.

sheet ¹ British  

/ ʃiːt /

noun

1. a large rectangular piece of cotton, linen, etc, generally one of a pair used as inner bedclothes

2. 1. a thin piece of a substance such as paper, glass, or metal, usually rectangular in form

   2. ( as modifier )

      sheet iron

3. a broad continuous surface; expanse or stretch

   a sheet of rain

4. a newspaper, esp a tabloid

5. a piece of printed paper to be folded into a section for a book

6. a page of stamps, usually of one denomination and already perforated

7. any thin tabular mass of rock covering a large area

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verb

1. (tr) to provide with, cover, or wrap in a sheet

2. (intr) (of rain, snow, etc) to fall heavily

sheet ² British  

/ ʃiːt /

noun

1. nautical a line or rope for controlling the position of a sail relative to the wind

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sheet More Idioms  

1. see three sheets to the wind; white as a sheet.

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Other Word Forms

• sheetless adjective
• sheetlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of sheet¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English shete, shet(te) “length of cloth, piece of linen,” Old English scīte, scēte, scȳte, scīete “garment, cloth, napkin”

Origin of sheet²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English shete, seate, shortening of Old English scēatlīne “sheet of a sail,” equivalent to scēat(a) “corner, angle, lower corner of a sail” + līne “rope”; cognate with Low German schote; sheet ¹, line ¹

Explanation

A sheet is a large, wide amount of something flat, like a sheet of metal or a sheet of paper. When it goes on your bed, a sheet is a similar expanse of fabric. The sheets on your bed cover your mattress and lie beneath your blanket or comforter, and the huge windows in your imaginary dream house would require enormous sheets of glass. Sheet music consists of musical notation written on sheets of paper, and a sheet of rain comes down so hard it looks like a solid surface. If it rained overnight and the water froze on the ground, you might say, "Careful, it's a sheet of ice outside!"

Example Sentences

A first home defeat in his 11-game tenure, one victory in four games, no clean sheet in five, a potential central defensive crisis and boos ringing in his ears at half-time.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

A major debt restructuring, that gave a non-cash boost to the bottom line, and helped the company’s balance sheet, came at a huge cost to shareholders.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 12, 2026

“Peggy Price, we have the signatures right here to recall you,” Chavoya said, holding up a sheet of paper.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

He grasped that its brand was a wonderful asset not reflected on its balance sheet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Other than mentioning that it would be large enough to eat the family pets, the "Care and Feeding" sheet wasn't very specific about growth.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

Related Words

• blanket
• coat
• foil
• layer
• leaf
• piece
• plate
• slab
• surface