Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

shopping mall began to take shape. 4 state, condition, fettle, status, (state of) health, order, trim: When I saw Wayne yesterday, he seemed in very good shape indeed. 5 guise, disguise, form, appearance, likeness, image: Zeus visited Dan„e in the shape of a golden shower, and fathered Perseus on her.

--v. 6 form, fashion, mould, cast, make, model, sculpture, sculpt; cut, carve, hew, hack, trim: Using primitive tools,

they were able to shape the clay into bowls. The topiary shrubs were shaped into the forms of birds. 7 determine, give form to, control, govern, regulate, affect, condition, influence, decree, frame, define,: There are many factors that shape our future.

8 word, express, embody in words, put, formulate, form: Perhaps you could shape your question differently. 9 change, modify, remodel, accommodate, fit, adapt, adjust: The box was shaped especially for this bottle. 10 shape up. a take form, take

shape, develop, evolve, proceed: The plan is shaping up very nicely. b conform, improve, progress, go or move or come along, show improvement, come up to snuff; behave better: Those who cannot shape up will have to ship out.

shapeless adj. 1 amorphous, formless, nebulous, unformed, indefinite, unstructured, vague: Sculptors start with a shapeless mass of clay. 2 unshapely, deformed, misshapen, distorted, twisted, bent, battered: The wreckage was a shapeless tangle of steel and mortar.

shapely adj. curvaceous, comely, well-proportioned, graceful, neat, well turned out, good-looking, pleasing; voluptuous, Colloq sexy: That slinky black dress certainly sets off her shapely figure to advantage.

share n. 1 portion, allotment, division, apportionment, allocation, ration, appropriation, dispensation, allowance, part, due, percentage, interest, dividend, quota, portion, helping, serving, Colloq cut: Each of us is entitled to a share in the profits. We made sure that all participants got their shares. 2 interest, piece, part, stake, equity, slice: Do you own any shares in the stock market? My share in United Telephone is worth twice what I paid for it.

--v. 3 share out, divide up, allot, apportion, allocate, ration, appropriate, share in, split, partition, parcel or deal

2 shine, spread, scatter, throw, cast, let fall, impart, release, focus, pour forth, let fall, radiate: Can you shed a

little light on a matter that has puzzled me for years? 3 pour or stream or flow or surge or spill (out or forth), discharge,

emanate, emit, drop; exude, ooze, weep: The clouds shed their snow and the world below turned white. Don't shed any tears over me. 4 cast off, doff, drop, abandon; moult, defoliate,

desquamate, peel (off), flake (off): The trees shed their leaves. She rushed into the bathroom, shedding her clothes as she went.

sheen n. shine, gleam, polish, lustre, shininess, burnish, brightness, gloss, glow, glimmer, shimmer, radiance, glint, dazzle: The sheen of the horse's coat glistened in the sunlight.

sheepish adj. 1 timid, withdrawn, passive, docile, obedient, compliant, sheeplike, manipulable, tractable, pliable, meek, amenable: Dashworth might seem sheepish but he doesn't like to be bullied. 2 See shamefaced, above.

got a copy of the sheet that published the article about you?

shell n. 1 cartridge, projectile, shot: We huddled in the foxhole as the shells whistled overhead. 2 exterior, outside, fa‡ade, framework, frame, chassis, externals, skeleton, hull: After the earthquake, only the shell of the building was left standing.

--v. 3 shuck, husk, peel, hull, excorticate, decorticate:

Would you mind shelling the peas while I peel the potatoes? 4 fire on or upon, bombard, barrage, attack, bomb, blitz, cannonade, Slang Brit prang: The enemy shelled our position relentlessly. 5 shell out. pay out, give out, disburse, spend, expend, hand over, hand out, Colloq lay out, fork out, dish out, Chiefly US ante up: I had to shell out a month's salary for that suit.

shelter n. 1 protection, cover, refuge, asylum, sanctuary, haven, safety, security: During the hailstorm, we sought shelter in a cave. 2 cover, covering, concealment, screen, umbrella: Under the shelter of a moonless night, they stole quietly past the guards. 3 dwelling-place, habitation, home, dwelling, housing, accommodation: He feels that everyone is entitled to food, clothing, and shelter.

--v. 4 protect, screen, shield, safeguard, guard, keep, secure, harbour: The parapet sheltered the guards from the icy wind. 5 seek or take refuge or shelter, hole up, Colloq lie or lay low: Mike sheltered in a mountain hut until the hue and cry died down.

shelve v. postpone, defer, put off or aside or on ice or on the shelf, pigeon-hole, lay aside, hold in abeyance, US table: We will have to shelve this matter until we have more information.

shepherd v. lead, convoy, escort, conduct, guide, usher, take, pursue: I want you, personally, to shepherd Miss Jones through the plant. As this project requires special care, I shall shepherd

it through personally.

shibboleth

n. password, catchword, catch-phrase, buzz-word, byword, watchword, jargon: As Simon knew none of the shibboleths of teenagers' slang, he remained an outsider to his classmates.

shield n. 1 protection, guard, safeguard, defence, screen, bulwark, shelter: Education is a poor shield against poverty.

--v. 2 protect, guard, safeguard, keep, defend, screen,

shelter: The mother bear will shield the cubs from harm or die in the attempt.

shift v. 1 move, change position; edge, budge, relocate, rearrange, transpose, switch: Shift the picture slightly to the left.

Marla shifted over closer to me on the bench. I almost broke my leg because you shifted the chair as I was about to sit on it. 2 Usually, shift for (oneself). manage, succeed, make do, look after, take care of, get or scrape by or along, fend for

(oneself), make it, paddle one's own canoe: Cyril prefers to live alone and shift for himself. 3 sell, market, move: The object of advertising is to shift merchandise.

--n. 4 hours, stint, schedule; workforce, relay, crew, cadre, staff, workers, squad, team, corps, group, party, gang: I prefer to work the morning shift. The night shift comes on at

1600. 5 change, movement, switch, transfer, swerve, deflection, veer: Owing to a wind shift, it became impossible to manoeuvre among the rocks. 6 smock, chemise, muu-muu; caftan or kaftan: A light cotton shift is the most comfortable thing to wear in such scorching weather.

shiftless adj. unambitious, lazy, indolent, uninspired, unmotivated, idle, lackadaisical, irresponsible, uncaring, unenterprising, aimless, slothful, otiose, ineffective, ne'er-do-well, good-for-nothing, fain‚ant, pococurante: He calls Geoff a shiftless vagabond, virtually a tautology.

shifty adj. tricky, artful, shrewd, canny, cunning, foxy, wily, sharp, devious, slick, evasive, smooth, slippery, scheming, designing, conniving, calculating, underhand(ed), conspiratorial, treacherous, traitorous, deceitful, deceiving, duplicitous, two-faced, Janus-faced, dishonest, crooked, untrustworthy, Colloq bent: The shifty scoundrel gave me a bad cheque and did a moonlight flit.

shilly-shally

v. hem and haw, dilly-dally, teeter-totter, see-saw, yo-yo,

vacillate, waver, alternate, fluctuate, dither, falter, tergiversate, Brit haver, hum and haw, Scots swither; delay,

hesitate, dawdle: Stop shilly-shallying and decide whether you want chocolate or strawberry!

shimmer v. 1 shine, gleam, glow, glimmer, glint, glisten, ripple, flicker: The desert shimmered like a lake under the relentless sun.

sea in ships.

--v. 2 send, move, ferry, transport, deliver, carry, dispatch or despatch, freight, haul, truck, cart: You need a specialized

company that ships computers and other delicate equipment. 3 ship out. leave, depart, embark, set sail, take off, get out,

quit, Slang scram: You'll ship out if you know what's good for you.

shipshape adj. neat, trim, spotless, orderly, Bristol fashion, spick and span, tidy: Pick up your clothes and make this room shipshape at once!

shirk v. avoid, evade, shun, dodge, get out of, shrink from, Colloq duck (out of), Brit skive, Military Brit scrimshank, US gold brick: Stop shirking your responsibilities and get to work! Is Callum shirking again?

shiver° v. 1 shake, quake, tremble, shudder, quiver: We sat in our wet clothes, shivering in the cold. The old shack shivered in the wind. 2 vibrate, luff, flap, flutter, chatter, rattle, shake,

wallop: The sails shivered violently in the stiff breeze.

--n. 3 shake, quake, tremble, shudder, quiver, thrill, frisson, trembling, tremor, flutter: She gave a little shiver and then snuggled into my arms. 4 the shivers. trembling, shivering, goose-pimples or goose bumps, Colloq the shakes, US the chills: He's had malaria and occasionally gets the shivers. Those horror films give me the shivers.

numb, paralyse, daze, stupefy, dumbfound or dumfound, bowl over, appal, astonish, astound, frighten, scare, petrify, traumatize, horrify, outrage, disgust, nauseate, repel, revolt, sicken,

upset, disquiet, disturb, perturb, discompose, unsettle, Colloq throw, US throw for a loop, flabbergast, give (someone) a turn:

He shocked us when he announced his resignation. We were shocked to learn of the train wreck.

--n. 2 trauma, stupor, paralysis, prostration, breakdown, collapse, nervous exhaustion: He is in a state of shock after the accident. 3 surprise, thunderbolt, bolt from the blue, bombshell, revelation, shocker, eye-opener, jolt: It came as a shock to learn whom I had been talking to so casually. The death of her husband was a terrible shock. 4 tingle, jolt, impact: You'll get a nasty shock if you touch those wires.

shocking adj. 1 surprising, astounding, astonishing, amazing, striking, stupefying, numbing, sudden, unexpected, electrifying,

startling, Colloq mind-boggling, mind-blowing: It was shocking to see the way the neighbourhood had deteriorated. 2 disgusting, revolting, nauseating, nauseous, sickening, repulsive, abominable, hideous, horrible, horrifying, horrific, horrid, foul, loathsome, abhorrent, ghastly, hideous, unspeakable, dreadful, distressing, outrageous, appalling, monstrous, scandalous: The conditions in the concentration camps were shocking.

shoddy adj. shabby, tatty, inferior, poor, rubbishy, cheap, pinchbeck,

shoot v. 1 scoot, dart, whisk, speed, bolt, run, race, rush, flash, fly, dash, hurtle, streak, scuttle, bound, leap, spring, Colloq zip, whiz: The instant the baby cried out, its mother shot over to protect it. 2 discharge, fire, open fire; let fly, launch, propel, project, fling, hurl, throw, toss: Don't shoot till you see the whites of their eyes! With all his strength he shot the arrow into the beast's neck. 3 wound, hurt, harm, injure; kill, slay, assassinate, execute, Slang fill or pump full of lead, plug, blast, zap, knock off, snuff (out): He insulted her, so she shot him. He's to be shot at sunrise. 4 sprout, germinate,

burgeon, flourish, grow, spring up, mushroom, develop: Owing to the perfect weather, the corn shot up very quickly.

--n. 5 sprout, stem, bud, branch, offshoot, slip, scion, sucker: If you want fruit, the new shoots have to be pinched back.

shop n. 1 store, boutique, department store: Would you stop at the shop and buy some lettuce? 2 workshop, machine shop: Henry gained experience in operating a lathe at my father's shop.

--v. 3 betray, inform on or against, Slang peach on, rat on, snitch on, blow the whistle on: The police persuaded Luke to shop his accomplices in exchange for a lighter sentence. 4 shop for. buy, purchase, seek, look for, research: I've been shopping for a new dishwasher.

short adj. 1 small, little, slight, petite, diminutive, wee, tiny,

elfin, minuscule; midget, dwarfish, squat, dumpy, runty, stubby, stunted, Colloq pint-sized, knee-high to a grasshopper, sawn-off: Did you know that Queen Victoria was quite short? 2 shortened, brief, concise, compressed, compendious, compact, pocket, US vest-pocket; abbreviated, abridged, cut: A short version of the book was published in paperback. 3 laconic, terse, succinct, pithy, sententious, epigrammatic: He made a few short remarks that were very much to the point. 4 abrupt, curt, terse, sharp, blunt, bluff, brusque, sharp, offhand,

gruff, testy, snappish, discourteous, uncivil, impolite: It is unnecessary to be so short with the staff. 5 direct, straight, straightforward, short and sweet: In reply to your request for permission to leave early, the short answer is 'No'. 6 Usually, short of. deficient (in), lacking (in), needful (of), wanting, inadequate, shy (of), low (on): The hotel is short of clean linen because the laundry failed to deliver. 7 brief, limited; transitory, temporary, short-lived, momentary, quick, transient: HQ had a short life but a happy one. I'll just make a short stop in here and will join you in a moment. 8 impecunious, straitened, pinched, underfunded, poor, penniless, deficient: I'm a bit short today and wonder if you could lend me some money? 9 in short supply. rare, scarce, scanty, unplentiful, meagre, sparse, Colloq chiefly Brit thin on the ground: Good editors are in short supply these days. 10 short of. before, failing, excluding, exclusive of, barring, eliminating,