shed
shed
/ʃed/
get rid of
1 shed something (often used in newspapers) to get rid of something that is no longer wanted
The factory is shedding a large number of jobs.
a quick way to shed unwanted pounds (= extra weight or fat on your body)
Museums have been trying hard to shed their stuffy image.
drop
2 shed something (+ adv./prep.) (formal) to take off a piece of clothing
We shed our jackets.
Luke shed his clothes onto the floor.
3 shed something (British English) (of a vehicle) to lose or drop what it is carrying
The traffic jam was caused by a lorry shedding its load.
skin/leaves
4 shed something if an animal sheds its skin, or a plant sheds leaves, it loses them naturally
How often does a snake shed its skin?
trees that shed their leaves in autumn
light
5 shed something (on/over somebody/something) to send light over something; to let light fall somewhere
The candles shed a soft glow on her face.
tears
6 shed tears (formal or literary) to cry
She shed no tears when she heard he was dead.
blood
7 shed blood (formal) to kill or injure people, especially in a war
How much blood will be shed before the fighting ends?
water
8 shed something (formal) to have the quality of causing water or liquid to run off and not sink in
A duck's feathers shed water immediately.
Idioms
shed
/ʃed/
often in compounds
1 a small simple building, usually built of wood or metal, used for keeping things in
a bicycle shed
(British English) a garden shed
a tool shed
Collocations
adjective
preposition
in a/the shed
2 (British English) a large industrial building, used for working in or keeping equipment
an engine shed
Collocations
adjective
3 (Australian English, New Zealand English) a building with open sides where the wool is cut off sheep (= they are sheared) or where cows are milked
Word Origin
verb Old English sc(e)ādan ‘separate out (one selected group), divide’, also ‘scatter’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German scheiden. Compare with sheath.
noun late 15th cent.: apparently a variant of the noun shade.