shed

present singular third person sheds · participle present shedding · nonstandard participle past shedded · nonstandard past shedded

1. UKdialectaltransitiveTo part, separate or divide.

   to shed something in two

   4 more examples

   to shed the sheep from the lambs

   A metal comb shed her golden hair.

   We are shed with each other by an enormous distance.

   1635, "Sermon on Philippians III, 7, 8", in Select Practical Writings of David Dickson (1845), Volume 1, page 166 Internet Archive Lest […] ye shed with God.

2. ambitransitiveTo part with, separate from, leave off; cast off, cast, let fall, be divested of.

   You must shed your fear of the unknown before you can proceed.

   3 more examples

   When we found the snake, it was in the process of shedding its skin.

   White oats are apt to shed most as they lie, and black as they stand.

   1707, J[ohn] Mortimer, The Whole Art of Husbandry; or, The Way of Managing and Improving of Land. […], London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for H[enry] Mortlock […], and J[onathan] Robinson […], →OCLC

   She called on all the marathoners to go to Staten Island to help with the clean-up effort and to bring the clothes they would have shed at the start to shelters or other places where displaced people were in need.

   2012 November 2, Ken Belson, New York Times, retrieved 02 Nov 2012

3. archaictransitiveTo pour; to make flow.

   Did Romeo's hand shed Tybalt's blood?

   c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]

4. transitiveTo allow to flow or fall.

   A tarpaulin sheds water.

   2 more examples

   I didn't shed many tears when he left me.

   The crash occurred in a steep-sided cutting lined with self-seeded deciduous trees that were shedding their leaves, following unusually heavy rain and high winds in the 12 hours beforehand.

   2023 November 1, Paul Clifton, “RAIB recommends actions to tackle leaves on the line”, in RAIL, number 995, page 10

5. transitiveTo radiate, cast, give off (light).

   to shed light on

   2 more examples

   Can you shed any light on this problem?

   What tho’ the moon—the white moon Shed all the splendour of her noon, Her smile is chilly—and her beam, In that time of dreariness, will seem (So like you gather in your breath) A portrait taken after death.

   1829, Edgar Allan Poe, “Tamerlane”, in Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems

6. obsoletetransitiveTo pour forth, give off, impart.

   Sence now that he by the right honde of god exalted is, and hath receaved off the father the promys off the holy goost, he hath sheed forthe that which ye nowe se and heare.

   1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts ij

7. intransitiveobsoleteTo fall in drops; to pour.
8. To sprinkle; to intersperse; to cover.

   Her hair […] is shed with gray.

   1606, Ben Jonson, Hymenaei

9. businessTo divide, as the warp threads, so as to form a shed, or passageway, for the shuttle.

plural sheds · alternative shode · alternative shead · alternative shede

1. businessAn opening between upper and lower warp yarns through which the weft is woven.

   Open the shed. Working in the direction that the shuttle will travel, insert the pick-up stick under the first 8 warp ends (including both lifted and lowered ends) and under the last 9 ends, passing through the open shed in between.

   2026, Emily Barth, “Woolly Cocoon Bags”, in Handwoven, volume XLVII, number 1, pages 36-37

2. obsoleteA distinction or dividing-line.
3. obsoleteA parting in the hair.
4. obsoleteThe top of the head.
5. obsolete outside of compoundsAn area of land as distinguished from those around it.

plural sheds

1. A slight or temporary structure built to shade or shelter something; a structure usually open in front; an outbuilding, especially a smallish one; a hut.

   wood shed

   3 more examples

   wagon shed

   garden shed

   There are numerous sheds in the now grass-grown yard, most of which now house threshing machines and farm carts instead of locomotives and rolling stock, although [in] the roofs of some are gaping holes.

   1941 June, “Notes and News: The Derelict Glyn Valley Tramway”, in Railway Magazine, pages 279–280

2. A large temporary open structure for reception of goods.
3. UKderogatoryinformalAn automobile which is old, worn-out, slow, or otherwise of poor quality.

   Synonyms: banger, beater, bucket of bolts, bucket of rust, clunker, crate, crock, flivver

4. UKinformalrail transportA British Rail Class 66 locomotive.

   Never saw that but we did stand and watch a pair of Sheds (156 and 165) speed north on a loaded steel.

   2000 November 12, Bruce Garbutt, “Re: DRS to Cardiff (was Re: Tractor via Eddiestown)”, in uk.railway (Usenet)

5. nuclear physicsA unit of area equivalent to 10⁻⁵² square meters.
6. alternativeslangentertainmentAlternative form of woodshed.

present singular third person sheds · participle present shedding · participle past shedded · past shedded

1. transitiveTo place or allocate a vehicle, such as a locomotive, in or to a depot or shed.

   As these [diesel] trains have to be shedded under cover at night, four additional outdoor standage roads are being provided for stabling of electric rolling stock after inspection in the shed.

   1956 October, “Recent Changes on the Tyneside Electrified Lines”, in Railway Magazine, page 662

   2 more examples

   On the Dava line, apart from the banking assistance given by the 4-4-0s, the traffic is handled by the standard class "5" 4-6-0s, known among the drivers as "Hikers"; these engines are shedded at Inverness and Perth.

   1944 January and February, W. McGowan Gradon, “Forres as a Railway Centre”, in Railway Magazine, page 23

   Three 14XX class 0-4-2Ts were allocated to Bath Road for the Clevedon branch and one was sub-shedded at Yatton for a week at a time, during which period it amassed an aggregate mileage of nearly 1,400 miles.

   1961 May, Mark B. Warburton, “Yatton and its branches to Clevedon and Wells”, in Trains Illustrated, page 277

2. transitiveentertainmentTo woodshed.

plural Sheds

1. A surname.

1. Internetnot comparableRelating to topics of self-harm, eating disorders, or suicidal ideation.