SHAVE (shaven)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: shaven   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does shave mean? 

• SHAVE (noun)
  The noun SHAVE has 1 sense:

1. the act of removing hair with a razor

  Familiarity information: SHAVE used as a noun is very rare.

• SHAVE (verb)
  The verb SHAVE has 6 senses:

1. remove body hair with a razor

2. cut closely

3. cut the price of

4. cut or remove with or as if with a plane

5. make shavings of or reduce to shavings

6. touch the surface of lightly

  Familiarity information: SHAVE used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SHAVE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of removing hair with a razor

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

shave; shaving

Hypernyms ("shave" is a kind of...):

depilation; epilation (the act of removing hair (as from an animal skin))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shave"):

tonsure (shaving the crown of the head by priests or members of a monastic order)

Derivation:

shave (remove body hair with a razor)

• SHAVE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they shave    ... he / she / it shaves   
Past simple: shaved   
Past participle: shaved    / shaven   
-ing form: shaving   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Remove body hair with a razor

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "shave" is one way to...):

groom; neaten (care for one's external appearance)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "shave"):

razor (shave with a razor)

tonsure (shave the head of a newly inducted monk)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

They shave their hair

Derivation:

shave (the act of removing hair with a razor)

shaver (a razor powered by an electric motor)

shaver (an adult male who shaves)

shaving (the act of removing hair with a razor)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Cut closely

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

shave; trim

Context example:

trim my beard

Hypernyms (to "shave" is one way to...):

cut (shorten as if by severing the edges or ends of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "shave"):

fleece; shear (shear the wool from)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

They shave their hair

Sense 3

Meaning:

Cut the price of

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

knock off; shave

Hypernyms (to "shave" is one way to...):

bring down; cut; cut back; cut down; reduce; trim; trim back; trim down (cut down on; make a reduction in)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "shave"):

mark down (reduce the price of)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Cut or remove with or as if with a plane

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

plane; shave

Context example:

The machine shaved off fine layers from the piece of wood

Hypernyms (to "shave" is one way to...):

cut (separate with or as if with an instrument)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 5

Meaning:

Make shavings of or reduce to shavings

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

shave the radish

Hypernyms (to "shave" is one way to...):

carve; cut up (cut to pieces)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

The chefs shave the vegetables

Derivation:

shaving (a thin fragment or slice (especially of wood) that has been shaved from something)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Touch the surface of lightly

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

His back shaved the counter in passing

Hypernyms (to "shave" is one way to...):

crease; graze; rake (scrape gently)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "shave"):

skive (remove the surface of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

shaving (the act of brushing against while passing)

 Context examples 

I had hung my shaving glass by the window, and was just beginning to shave.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Thou hast shaved many a poor soul close enough, said the other; thou art only meeting thy reward: so he played up another tune.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

One thing is very clear to me, and that is that the little chap with the front of his head shaved is a chief among them.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He took them out of their cases, and told us, that in his own country his practice was to shave his beard with one of these, and cut his meat with the other.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

To avoid infection, do not try to shave off the corn or callus.

(Corns and Calluses, NIH: National Institute on Aging)

He was a little, white-faced, clean-shaven, grizzly-haired fellow of fifty.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“What have you to say, you clean-shaved galley-beggar?” cried the fiery dame, turning upon the archer.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I fed it, shaving by shaving, and sliver by sliver, till at last it was snapping and crackling as it laid hold of the smaller chips and sticks.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

The man was dark-eyed and smooth-shaven all except his mustache, which was so iced up as to hide his mouth.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

He was a small, wiry, sunburnt man, clean-shaven, with a sharp face and alert manner.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)