I. shed 1 S3 /ʃed/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Origin: Probably from shade ]
1 . a small building, often made of wood, used especially for storing things:
a tool shed
a cattle shed
2 . a large industrial building where work is done, large vehicles are kept, machinery is stored etc
• • •
THESAURUS
■ areas and structures in a garden
▪ lawn [countable] an area of short grass in a garden:
They were sitting on the front lawn of the house.
▪ flowerbed [countable] an area of ground where you grow flowers:
The flowerbeds were well maintained.
▪ rockery [countable] British English an area of a garden where there are rocks with small flowers growing between them
▪ hedge [countable] a row of small bushes or trees growing close together, used for dividing one garden from another:
a beech hedge
▪ vegetable patch/plot [countable] ( also kitchen garden British English ) a part of a garden where you grow vegetables
▪ patio [countable] a flat stone area next to a house, where people sit outside
▪ decking [uncountable] a flat wooden area in a garden, where people can sit
▪ pond [countable] a small area of water in a garden
▪ water feature [countable] a small pool or structure with water running through it, used to make a garden look more attractive
▪ greenhouse [countable] a glass building where you can grow plants that need protection from the weather
▪ shed [countable] a small wooden building in a garden, where you can store things
II. shed 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle shed , present participle shedding ) [transitive]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: sceadan 'to divide, separate' ]
1 . GET RID OF to get rid of something that you no longer need or want:
The company is planning to shed about a quarter of its workforce.
The magazine is desperately trying to shed its old-fashioned image.
a diet to help you shed pounds
REGISTER
Shed is used especially in journalism. In everyday English, people usually say that someone or something gets rid of something.
2 . shed light
a) to make something easier to understand, by providing new or better information
shed light on
Recent research has shed light on the causes of the disease.
Investigators hope to shed light on what started the fire.
b) if something sheds light, it lights the area around it:
The lamp shed a harsh yellow light.
3 . PLANTS/ANIMALS if a plant sheds its leaves or if an animal sheds skin or hair, they fall off as part of a natural process:
The trees were starting to shed their leaves.
As it grows, a snake will regularly shed its skin.
4 . DROP/FALL to drop something or allow it to fall:
He strode across the bathroom, shedding wet clothes as he went.
shed a load British English :
A lorry shed its load of steel bars on the M25.
5 . shed blood to kill or injure people, especially during a war or a fight:
Too much blood has already been shed in this conflict.
⇨ ↑ bloodshed
6 . shed tears especially literary to cry:
She had not shed a single tear during the funeral.
7 . WATER if something sheds water, the water flows off its surface, instead of sinking into it
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COLLOCATIONS
■ nouns
▪ shed jobs/workers/staff etc
The bank continued to shed workers.
▪ shed weight (=lose weight from your body)
Doing exercise is the best way to shed surplus weight.
▪ shed pounds/kilos (=to lose this amount of weight)
I needed to shed a few pounds.
▪ shed an image (=change people's opinion about someone or something)
Has the industry finally shed its negative image?
▪ shed your inhibitions (=stop worrying about what other people will think of your behaviour)
As the party went on, people began to shed their inhibitions.