shade

/ʃeɪd/

/ʃeɪd/

Other forms: shades; shaded; shading

Shade is a break from the glare of the sun, like the shade of a big tree or the shade under a beach umbrella.

Other meanings of shade also come from the sense of "blocking the sun," like a window shade, the shade that diffuses the light from a lamp, or the shades (or sunglasses) you wear at the beach. The same is true when shade is a verb: "This hat is ridiculously big, but it really shades my face from the sun!" If you "throw shade," you're criticizing or expressing contempt for someone in a public way.

Definitions of shade

1. noun

   relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
   “it is much cooler in the shade”

   synonyms: shadiness, shadowiness

   types:

   shadow

   a dark shape created by an object blocking a source of light

   umbra

   a region of complete shadow resulting from total obstruction of light

   penumbra

   a fringe region of partial shadow around an umbra

   type of:

   semidarkness

   partial darkness
2. noun

   protective covering that protects something from direct sunlight
   “they used umbrellas as shades”

   “as the sun moved he readjusted the shade”

   types:

   lamp shade, lampshade

   a protective ornamental shade used to screen a light bulb from direct view

   parasol, sunshade

   a handheld collapsible source of shade

   sun visor

   a shade (sometimes of green mica) affixed above the windshield of an automobile

   type of:

   protection, protective cover, protective covering

   a covering that is intend to protect from damage or injury
3. noun

   a representation of the effect of shadows in a picture or drawing (as by shading or darker pigment)
   type of:

   representation

   a creation that is a visual or tangible rendering of someone or something
4. noun

   a position of relative inferiority
   “an achievement that puts everything else in the shade”

   “his brother's success left him in the shade”

   type of:

   inferiority, lower rank, lower status

   the state of being inferior
5. verb

   protect from light, heat, or view
   “Shade your eyes when you step out into the bright sunlight”

   type of:

   block out, screen

   prevent from entering
6. verb

   cast a shadow over
   synonyms: shade off, shadow

   type of:

   darken

   make dark or darker
7. verb

   represent the effect of shade or shadow on
   synonyms: fill in

   types:

   crosshatch

   shade with multiple crossing lines

   type of:

   paint

   make a painting

   draw

   represent by making a drawing of, as with a pencil, chalk, etc. on a surface
8. noun

   a slight amount or degree of difference
   “the new model is a shade better than the old one”

   synonyms: tad

   type of:

   small indefinite amount, small indefinite quantity

   an indefinite quantity that is below average size or magnitude
9. noun

   a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
   “don't argue about shades of meaning”

   synonyms: nicety, nuance, refinement, subtlety

   type of:

   import, meaning, significance, signification

   the message that is intended or expressed or signified
10. noun

    a quality of a given color that differs slightly from another color
    “after several trials he mixed the shade of pink that she wanted”

    synonyms: tincture, tint, tone

    types:

    mellowness

    a soft shade of a color

    richness

    a strong deep vividness of hue

    tinge, undertone

    a pale or subdued color

    type of:

    color, coloring, colour, colouring

    a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
11. verb

    vary slightly
    “shade the meaning”

    type of:

    alter, change, modify

    cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
12. verb

    pass from one quality such as color to another by a slight degree
    “the butterfly wings shade to yellow”

    type of:

    change

    undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature
13. noun

    a mental representation of some haunting experience
    synonyms: ghost, specter, spectre, spook, wraith

    type of:

    apparition, fantasm, phantasm, phantasma, phantom, shadow

    something existing in perception only