shed 1 of 2

verb

ˈshed How to pronounce shed (audio)
Definition of shednext
1
as in to peel
to cast (a natural bodily covering or appendage) aside a snake's skin doesn't grow as the snake does, so every so often the snake will shed its old skin

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to unload
to get rid of as useless or unwanted you need to shed your old notions of propriety and have some fun for a change

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shed

2 of 2

noun

as in hut

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word shed different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of shed are cast, discard, junk, scrap, and slough. While all these words mean "to get rid of," shed and slough imply a throwing off of something both useless and encumbering and often suggest a consequent renewal of vitality or luster.

shed a bad habit
finally sloughed off the depression

When would cast be a good substitute for shed?

Although the words cast and shed have much in common, cast, especially when used with off, away, or out, implies a forceful rejection or repudiation.

cast off her friends

When is it sensible to use discard instead of shed?

While the synonyms discard and shed are close in meaning, discard implies the letting go or throwing away of something that has become useless or superfluous though often not intrinsically valueless.

discard old clothes

How do scrap and junk relate to one another, in the sense of shed?

Both scrap and junk imply throwing away or breaking up as worthless in existent form.

scrap all the old ways
would junk our educational system

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shed
Verb
At the start of the TVLine video Q&A above (and below), series lead and co-creator Max Thieriot sheds some insight on his character’s questionable side hustle. —Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 4 Apr. 2025 Microsoft — Shares shed 2.4% after Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that the company is scaling back its data center projects around the world. —Sean Conlon, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2025
Noun
That may explain why sheds today are up for an average of 511 days, with more than a half-dozen dating back to Barack Obama’s first term in the White House. —Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 27 Mar. 2025 The new bills, passed by the Council in a unanimous vote, aim to curb the prevalence of the sheds, which many lawmakers, business owners and others say hamper pedestrian flow and local commerce. —Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shed
  1. peel
  2. unload
  3. hut
  4. ditch
  5. dump
  6. shack
  7. discard
  8. lose
Verb
  • The painstaking work has been underway for more than 24 hours, peeling back layers of debris in the hope of finding any of the dozens believed to be trapped underneath.
    — Janis Mackey Frayer, NBC news, 29 Mar. 2025
  • There’s so many things to get wrong, from hard-boiling them without getting a green ring to peeling them without ripping out chunks of egg white.
    — Josh Miller, Southern Living, 29 Mar. 2025
Definition of peel
Verb
  • Owners unable to unload their EVs or still torn over Tesla have been caught in the middle.
    — Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 30 Mar. 2025
  • Once triggered, the black mamba unloads a relentless flurry of high-speed bites.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Definition of unload
Noun
  • The group going above the hut to the left will ascend higher to a saddle below Mount Kemmel and ski a wide, pristine pitch called Springboard.
    — Jesse James McTigue, Outside Online, 20 Mar. 2025
  • The new Gathering Grounds coffee hut that opened March 8 is looking to create a new identity from the previous businesses that occupied the space, said owner Danica Strand.
    — Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025
Definition of hut
Verb
  • Keep the voice, ditch the details Maintain your natural speaking voice in your content.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
  • Some experts say the only way Tesla can recover its brand image is to ditch Musk as CEO.
    — Scott Neuman, NPR, 2 Apr. 2025
Definition of ditch
Verb
  • The plan is/was to dump most of the high-leverage load on Romano, Matt Strahm, José Alvarado and Orion Kerkering.
    — Anthony Stitt, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Global investors have been fretting over the effects of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on the global economy, leading them to dump equities.
    — Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2025
Definition of dump
Noun
  • The pair moved into a stuccoed beach shack in Malibu, and spent the next four years cooking for friends and family, playing guitar and raising dogs and turtles.
    — Nathan Taylor Pemberton, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
  • There are more than 80 sugar shacks scattered across the province, and each is unique.
    — Debbie Olsen, AFAR Media, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of shack
Verb
  • Rice, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and gravy were discarded after they were measured too cold to be safe.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • However, when cashew nuts are processed, the cashew apple, although edible, is often discarded or left unused in many commercial nut processing systems.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Mar. 2025
Definition of discard
Verb
  • Since March 2024, Tszyu is 0-2, losing his WBO light middleweight title to Sebastian Fundora by split decision, and most recently, in October 2024, falling to Bakhram Murtazaliev in an IBF title fight by third-round knockout.
    — Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
  • There has been no indication of any widespread fraud, including when Trump, a Republican, lost to Joe Biden, a Democrat, in 2020.
    — Lindsay Whitehurst, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of lose

Browse Nearby Words

sheaves
shed
shedding
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shed. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.

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