shave
ʃeɪv
shaven
Definition Synonyms Conjugation

Definition of shave - Reverso English Dictionary

Verb

tr.
1.
hair removalremove hair from the body using a razor
  • He shaves his beard every morning.
clip cut trim
2.
small reductionreduce something by a small amount
  • They shaved ten minutes off the travel time.
pare trim

Noun

1.
hair removalinstance of removing hair with a razor
  • He had a quick shave before the meeting.
shearing trimming
2.
thin sliceUSamount of something removed thinlyUS
  • A close shave with the knife left a thin slice of cheese..
slice sliver
Add a suggestion |

Images of shave

  • shave: hand tool with a sharp blade for woodworking
    hand tool with a sharp blade for woodworking

Expressions with shave

💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.
remove hair or a thin layer
He decided to shave off his beard.
achieving something by a narrow margin
Winning the game was a close shave.
cut hair very short
The barber will shave it close for a cleaner look.
reduce time taken to do something
He managed to shave seconds off his running time.
seven-note riff used for comic effect
The band ended the song with a shave and a haircut.
to slightly alter the facts
He tends to shave the truth to make his stories more interesting.

Origin of shave

Old English, sceafan (to scrape)

Terms with shave included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
shaving product
substance put on skin to help shave hair smoothly
pre-shave
liquid used before shaving to soften facial hair
carpentry
finely shave or bevel an edge
grooming
trim or shave a male's body hair
post-shave care
liquid applied to the skin after shaving to soothe and scent
pre-shave
cream applied to skin before shaving
grooming
simple haircut and shave
repeat action
shave again to achieve smoothness

Examples of shave in a sentence

  • She shaves her legs before going to the beach.
  • They shaved a few dollars off the price.
  • We need to shave some time off the schedule.
  • He shaved the cheese for the pasta dish.
  • The chef shaved truffles over the gourmet meal.
  • He shaved a bit of wood off the door to make it fit.

View all translations of shave

Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
  1. French:se raser, rasage, ...
  2. German:rasieren, Rasur, ...
  3. Italian:radersi, rasatura, ...
  4. Spanish:afeitarse, afeitado, ...
  5. Portuguese:barbear, aparas, ...
  6. Chinese:刮, 剃须, ...
  7. Japanese:剃る, ひげ剃り, ...
  8. Arabic:حَلَقَ, حِلَاقَة, ...
  9. Hebrew:לְגַלֵּחַ, גִּלּוּחַ, ...
  10. Russian:брить, бритьё, ...
  11. Ukrainian:голити, гоління, ...
  12. Hindi:दाढ़ी बनाना, शेव, ...

Discover how Reverso redefines the dictionary

Go beyond “simple words”

Get more than a simple definition

Go from understanding to mastery