/ ʃed; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun (often in compounds)
1.
a small simple building, usually built of wood or metal, used for keeping things in :
a bicycle shed
( BrE )
a garden shed
2.
( BrE ) a large industrial building, used for working in or keeping equipment :
an engine shed
3.
( AustralE , NZE ) a building with open sides where the wool is cut off sheep (= they are sheared ) or where cows are milked
—see also cowshed , potting shed , woodshed
■ verb
( shed·ding , shed , shed ) [ vn ]
GET RID OF
1.
(often used in newspapers) to get rid of sth 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.
( formal ) to let sth fall; to drop sth :
Luke shed his clothes onto the floor.
A duck's feathers shed water immediately.
3.
( BrE ) ( 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.
if an animal sheds its skin, or a plant sheds leaves, it loses them naturally
LIGHT
5.
shed sth (on / over sb/sth) to send light over sth; to let light fall somewhere :
The candles shed a soft glow on her face.
TEARS
6.
( formal or literary ) if you shed tears, you cry :
She shed no tears when she heard he was dead.
BLOOD
7.
( formal ) if you shed blood, you kill or injure people, especially in a war
—see also bloodshed
•
IDIOMS
see light noun
••
WORD ORIGIN
noun late 15th cent.: apparently a variant of the noun shade .
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 .