WordGarden.ioshave
B1Pronunciation
UK
- /ʃˈeɪv/
US
- /ˈʃeɪv/
Meanings
Verb
to remove hair from the face or body with a razor
to reduce something by a very small amount or narrow margin
to cut a very thin layer from a surface with a blade
Noun
an act of removing facial or body hair
Beyond the definition
To shave most often means to remove facial or body hair with a razor. You can picture a barber carefully removing the hair from a customer's face to leave the skin smooth and clean. The word is also used when something is reduced by a small amount. You might shave a few minutes off a trip, or a company might shave costs to save money.
The idea behind the word is being very close or taking off only a little. That is why it can also describe passing very close to something, almost touching it. In daily life, people talk about shaving before work, before a date, or before a special event.
The word "shave" usually brings to mind a simple morning scene: someone standing at a mirror, removing facial or body hair with a razor. That is its most common meaning. A person may shave their face, legs, or head, and the result is that the hair is cut very close to the skin. It can describe a quick daily habit or a careful routine before an important event.
From there, the meaning extends in a natural way. "Shave" can also mean to reduce something by a small amount, especially time, money, or size. If you shave ten minutes off your travel time, the trip becomes a little shorter. If a business shaves costs, it cuts spending a little. In this sense, the word suggests a small, careful reduction rather than a large cut.
The word is also used for things that pass extremely close to something else. A car might shave past a wall, or a ball might shave the edge of the goal. This idea of being very near also appears in the phrase "a close shave," which means a narrow escape from danger or trouble.
So across its main uses, "shave" keeps the same basic picture: taking something off in a thin, close way, or coming so near that there is almost no space left. It can describe grooming, small reductions, and near contact, all with the sense of closeness and precision.
Examples
- 1
Everyday routine
I usually shave before work.
- 2
Body hair
She shaved her legs before going to the beach.
- 3
Beard removal
He shaved off his beard after ten years.
- Phraseshave off
remove completely by shaving
- 4
Personal grooming
I need a shave before the wedding.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Job interviews
He prefers a clean shave for job interviews.
- 6
Time reduction
Taking the shortcut shaved ten minutes off the drive.
- Patternshave + amount + off
reduce something by a small amount
- 7
Business costs
The company is trying to shave costs without cutting staff.
- Patternshave costs
reduce costs slightly
- 8
Narrow escape
A truck missed us by inches, and it was a close shave.
- Phrasea close shave
a narrow escape from danger
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- shavenounverb
Forms
- shavedpast tensepast participleverbnoun
- shaving-ing formverbnoun
- shavespluralnounverb