shed

/ʃɛd/

/ʃed/

Other forms: sheds; shedding

The small, simple building in your yard where you keep tools or gardening equipment is a shed.

As a noun, shed means "hut," and probably comes from the word shade. But shed is also a verb meaning "to cast off," like when a snake sheds its skin. If your couch is covered in fur, it might be because your dog is shedding. You can shed non-physical things, like a bad habit. Does your cat shed? If so, maybe I should sleep in the shed since I'm allergic.

Definitions of shed

1. verb

   cause or allow (a solid substance) to flow or run out or over
   synonyms: disgorge, spill

   slop, spill, splatter

   cause or allow (a liquid substance) to run or flow from a container

   types:

   seed

   go to seed; shed seeds

   reseed

   seed again or anew

   type of:

   displace, move

   cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense
2. verb

   pour out in drops or small quantities or as if in drops or small quantities
   “shed tears”

   “God shed His grace on Thee”

   synonyms: pour forth, spill

   type of:

   pour

   cause to run
3. verb

   get rid of
   “he shed his image as a pushy boss”

   “shed your clothes”

   synonyms: cast, cast off, drop, shake off, throw, throw away, throw off

   types:

   exuviate, molt, moult, slough

   cast off hair, skin, horn, or feathers

   abscise

   shed flowers and leaves and fruit following formation of a scar tissue

   exfoliate

   cast off in scales, laminae, or splinters

   autotomise, autotomize

   cause a body part to undergo autotomy

   desquamate, peel off

   peel off in scales

   type of:

   remove, take, take away, withdraw

   remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract
4. verb

   cast off hair, skin, horn, or feathers
   “our dog sheds every Spring”

   synonyms: exuviate, molt, moult, slough

   types:

   desquamate, peel off

   peel off in scales

   type of:

   cast, cast off, drop, shake off, throw, throw away, throw off

   get rid of
5. adjective

   shed at an early stage of development
   synonyms: caducous

   deciduous

   (of teeth, antlers, etc.) being shed at the end of a period of growth
6. noun

   an outbuilding with a single story; used for shelter or storage
   types:

   apiary, bee house

   a shed containing a number of beehives

   boathouse

   a shed at the edge of a river or lake; used to store boats

   coal house

   a shed for storing coal

   toolhouse, toolshed

   a shed for storing tools

   woodshed

   a shed for storing firewood or garden tools

   type of:

   outbuilding

   a building that is subordinate to and separate from a main building